High School DxD: The Divine Magical Rider
by Keybladewielder97
Summary: Takeshi Fuyushima is a young Magician who struggles in developing his magic skills. If that wasn't enough, he has to juggle his high school life, his dealings with the supernatural world, and for some odd reason, finding out about his unknown heritage that he possesses. Honestly, he can't just catch a break.
1. The Enchanter

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or other elements.**

 **I honestly didn't think that I would publish a new fanfic so soon, but I felt it was appropriate after recent events happened in my life.**

 **Recently, my grand uncle has passed away from both cancer and old age. And him passing away left a huge impact on my family. And I mean a lot, because he was sort of like the unofficial head of the family, even though we never spoke of it. His works were also well known to the architecture community as well, and has affected many many people and created beautiful places all around the world.**

 **He has also played a huge moral support towards my real life goals, so I too was saddened to see him go. But I suppose that life comes with death, and I have to accept it. Doesn't mean it'll be easy though.**

 **So in memory of my grand uncle, I have decided to dedicate this fanfic to him. His personality and ideals has helped me managed to make the OC that I wanted, so that's another add.**

 **So after some time, I finally managed to create an interesting story with some inspiration from other animes, like Log Horizon, Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works (2014), and Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon.**

 **And to take a new approach to my usual OC making, I have decided that my OC will not be as strong as my other OCs at the beginning of the story. With Takuya (The Zero) being a powerful Shinobi, Terra (Dragon Slayer) being a kickass Dragon Slayer, and Alexander (Mechanical Devil) who is a badass genius. So I've decided to have an OC that develops in the beginning of the story.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the story, and let my grand uncle rest in peace and be reborn into a new prosperous life (it's Japanese culture).  
**

* * *

 **High School DxD: The Divine Magical Rider**

 **Takeshi Fuyushima is a young Magician who struggles in developing his magic skills. If that wasn't enough, he has to juggle his high school life, his dealings with the supernatural world, and for some odd reason, finding out about his unknown heritage that he possesses. Honestly, he can't just catch a break...**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Enchanter**

 **(Home - Underground)**

The town of Kuoh is your average japanese city, brimming with urban designs everywhere, nice suburban neighborhoods, busy shopping districts, and a rather grand school. Within this city lied a house that is average sized, making it fit in with the neighborhood of Kuoh. This house on the outside was considered normal, but what was on the inside is what made it stand out the most.

Underneath the house was a rather large and spacious room, big enough to hold a a medium sized party. Near the middle of the room was a teenager who appears to be 17 years old. He is a young man with short messy black hair, and stood at a height of 5'8. His skin was light brown, and had brown eyes.

Currently, he is wearing a simple black shirt and some jogging shorts. The young man sighed tiredly as he sat on the floor. His clothes was covered in smoke, and the area around him had burnt marks everywhere. He groaned a bit while scratching the back of his black hair.

"Not good. Not good at all..." the young man muttered to himself, and then gave a tired sigh. "No matter how many times I try a basic spell, it always ends up in failure. Geez..." the young man said to himself. He then made himself sit up and pat the smoke marks off of him.

"Well, at least there are a few spells I know, but..." he said to himself once more, before his eyes glanced to the clock before him. His eyes widened when he saw what time it is.

"Oh crap! School is almost about to start!" the young man shouted, as he hurriedly got out of his clothes and put on his school uniform. As soon as he dressed himself, he soon ran to the ktichen and took out a large bag from a certain pantry of his. He then proceeded to tile the bag and pour its content out and onto a bowl on the floor.

"Breakfast is ready Blair-chan! I gotta go soon!" he shouted to the hall, and soon heard a "meow" made itself known in the room. It's a purple colored cat with large yellow eyes, ears with pale bushy tips and a long curly tail. The cat before him is a pet of his he adopted when he was young, and has taken care of it ever since. It beats being alone in the house most of the time.

"Take care Blair-chan!" he said his goodbye to his pet cat, and then proceeded to rush himself out of his home.

* * *

 **(Kuoh Academy)**

The young man made himself rush as fast as he can through the streets of Kuoh, and his eyes soon saw the gate of the school called Kuoh Academy close before him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to the absolute limits as he ran at high speed. He soon jumped through the narrow opening of the fate, and made himself roll onto the ground. After the roll, he made himself stand up while looking behind him, only to see the gate close and the gatekeeper just looking at him with an amused look.

"*Pant...*Pant*...*Pant...just in time...for school..." he said to himself while breathing tiredly, and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "Ah, what a relief..." he said to himself, and thought to himself he got out of any more problems.

Unfortunately, there is the saying of "out of the frying pan and into the fire".

"This makes this the 37th time you're almost late for school, Takeshi Fuyushima..." a strict voice came to his ears, causing his body to straighten at the voice. He slowly turned his head around, and found a female standing there with a stern and strict expression, and he knew that she was unamused by this. Before him was a young woman who had a slim figure, but enough to look healthy. She had black hair styled in a short bob, and had violet eyes. As usual to this particular area, she wore the standard Kuoh uniform.

In front of him was Souna Shitori, the student president of the student council. She was considered to be the student president, as well as the most strict student in the school. Nobody dared to cross her, and for some who do, they aren't able to come out unscathed by it.

"Oh, hey Kaichou." the now named protagonist, known as Takeshi, greeted with a smile on his face. Souna just gave him a narrow look.

"Fuyushima-kun, I will not tolerate such tardy acts upon this school. Surely, breaking such rules will lead you to punishments." Souna told him with a strict tone, causing Takeshi to simply chuckle at her.

"Well, technically, I'm never late for school. Only almost late, so I'm exempt from being treated as being late." Takeshi pointed out. It was true, since the past events where Takeshi is running late for school, he manages to make it right on time. So he is never late...just nearly late.

Upon hearing this reasoning, Souna opened her mouth to argue and correct him, but soon stopped when she saw the reasoning behind it. Soon, she just sighed tiredly as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"...*Sigh*...just get to class Fuyushima-kun." Souna said while looking tired by this.

"Roger!" Takeshi said as he ran at full speed to get to class. As he rushed past her, she took a glance at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Honestly, he's going to be a problem if this keeps up..." Souna sighed, despite the fact that he didn't really do anything wrong to the school or its rules.

* * *

 **(Class)**

"I'm tired..." Takeshi groaned as he lied on his desk, not bothering to get up as class finished. As he did, he failed to notice someone walking up to him. The figure just put her hands on her hips and just gave a huff.

"Honestly, if you want to stop this pattern, why not get to school in time?" a feminine voice said to him, causing Takeshi to turn his head, only to find a pair of large breasts above him. Takeshi paused for a moment, before he shook his head and sat up from his position. Seeing who it is, he simply sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Hey Kiyome-chan. You're still a big ball of sunshine on my day..." Takeshi said while giving a teasing face. The mentioned person then gave an embarrassed blush at him.

"Hey, don't call me that while we're in school! You are to address me as Abe-san, or even Kiyome-san if you want to get more familiar! But that sort of name shall not be used within this school!" Kiyome told him heatedly.

Introducing Kiyome Abe, a third year student of Kuoh Academy. She is a young woman who had long brown hair in multiple drill-like curls, as well as possessing above average breasts. She is also known as the captain of the school's tennis club, earning her a reputation at Kuoh Academy.

They were also childhood friends who practically grew up with each other.

Such familiarity lead to him calling her Kiyome-chan, much to her chagrin while at school. Despite the fact that she kept telling him to call her a different name, he just shrugged it off and kept calling her as such. As a result of this, the students of Kuoh Academy have been talking among each other, talking about whether or not Takeshi and Kiyome are in a relationship. Thus, this caused rumors to fly around the school, and they couldn't do anything about it once it spreads.

"So anyways..." Takeshi said, moving on from the subject. "I've heard something about the tennis club going into hiatus for a while?" Takeshi asked, causing Kiyome to sigh at this.

"Yes. The tennis club has to wait a bit before the tennis field is renovated. Until then, we're temporarily out of activity." Kiyome said while sighing.

"Huh, bummer..."

"What about you? You've been staying up pretty late working on whoever knows what. Seriously, what is it that calls for your undivided attention?" Kiyome asked, as he doesn't clearly know what he does when he's alone in his home.

Well, considering that fact that he's a magician, he cannot expose the art of magic to the general public. Apparently, people of this particular time cannot handle the facts of magic, and only accept their "reality". If it were to be exposed, it would surely cause world uproar and chaos everywhere. Despite the fact that he and Kiyome are childhood friends, he cannot show her the arts of magic in order to keep her safe.

"Ah, it's just a personal hobby of mine like I told you. It's a bit embarrassing..." Takeshi said while chuckling. It was part of the truth, considering that it was a bit embarrassing for him. He doesn't have that much progress in developing his magic skills, considering the fact that most spells either end up in failure and explosions. However, he does know a few spells in his arsenal, and is trying his best to develop it.

Kiyome just looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before she sighed.

"*Sigh*...Well, I can't really pry on personal matters. But still, seeing you in a tired state will come back and bite you rather hard." Kiyome pointed out, causing Takeshi to just wave it off.

"Ah don't worry about it. I get plenty of sleep...sometime during Friday nights and weekends." Takeshi said, adding in the last part.

"You're impossible..." Kiyome said to him with a tired tone.

"You know we're friends because of that..." Takeshi said while giving a small grin.

All Kiyome did was just huff at him.

* * *

 **(Home)**

After school, Takeshi decided to return home and continue on with his magic practice. As he entered the home, he took off the shoes at the entrance, and turned to the empty house before him.

"I'm home..." Takeshi quietly said to himself, before he walked further inside.

Takeshi lives alone within the household, as he doesn't have any known family relatives. He was originally an orphan who stayed at the orphanage, until a man came to his room and asked if he wanted to be adopted. Naturally, any orphaned child would say yes and accept the offer. When Takeshi was adopted by the man, he was very surprised to learn the fact that his adoptive father is a Magician. Being the curious child that he is, he asked his adoptive father to teach him the ways of magic.

Of course, his father accepted and decided to teach him the ways of magic. But as the teachings went underway, there was something wrong with Takeshi: he couldn't perform that much spells. In more detail, Takeshi has a hard time of manifesting his spells forth, but there are certain spells that he could perform. His adoptive father explained to him that most humans don't have the talent or ability to perform magic. He was told that all humans contain a small amount of magic energy within them, but most humans cannot harness it.

Another fact is that most humans don't even know about magic, so that's another factor in the world of magic. And when said person knows and uses magic, they're considered Magicians. He remember his father told him that most Magicians today come from a long family history of possessing magic, while the other part is being born with magic potential alone. Though, that's highly small. Takeshi accepted the fact, considering he was an orphan. However, he could still perform spells.

First, the only spells he could perform set to fall under the category of the Enchanter. Enchanter magic is basically a type of magic meant to enhance the target before you, or it could hinder the enemy in certain ways. This type of magic is actually useful if used in the right way, as they can turn the tides of a battle. Unfortunately, the offensive and defensive forms of this type of magic is relatively low, as it is only comparable to a low-mid rank mage. As such, this magic is only practical when you're with allies. If you're alone, the magic is surely weak. Thus leading this type of magic to be rarely used.

But Takeshi didn't complain, seeing how it can show that he can do magic. But that didn't stop him from trying to practice with different types of magic, so he worked hard to perform them, but had multiple failures in doing so. But he didn't give up, as there is trial and error in these cases.

It was unfortunate that Takeshi couldn't receive any help, considering that his adoptive father passed away due to an illness he possessed, and it cannot by cure through any medical or magical means. So Takeshi spent an early life learning to live on his own from here on. But in memory of his adoptive father, he dedicates his time in the path of magic.

"I better go put my stuff away..." Takeshi muttered to himself, as he was preparing himself for his practice session once more.

*Growl*

Takeshi blinked when he heard his stomach growl, and felt himself getting hungry by the passing moment. Seeing this, Takeshi simply sighed as he walked into the kitchen. As he set his backpack on the table, he looked at kitchen counter to find a jar of money. He looked closely to it, before he smiled and nodded to himself.

"Alright. I have enough comfort money to go get some sushi..." Takeshi said to himself, before he puts away his stuff and grabbed some money.

* * *

 **(Sushi Bar)**

The restaurant he decided to visit was a family friendly sushi shop that only took a 10 minute walk from his home, or 5 minute by bike. As he entered the restaurant, he then took a good whiff of the fresh fish being served. He exhaled while giving a small smile.

"Welcome! Oh, Takeshi-kun!" a feminine voice said, causing him to turn his head towards the source of the voice. He saw a small statured girl who has her dark brown hair tied in a medium sized ponytail with a white ribbon bow. She currently wore the standard japanese female sushi uniform.

"Oh, hey Asuka-chan." Takeshi greeted the girl, who is known as Asuka.

He and Asuka met each other at a young age as well, when his adopted father took him to this particular sushi shop for dinner. During their visits, Takeshi usually meets and encounters Asuka. The two then usually happily chat with each other while Takeshi ate his sushi, while his adoptive father and her grandfather watched the interaction with amusement.

He also learned that Asuka usually had a hard time getting along with others during her young age, which usually leads her to beating them up. But luckily for Takeshi, he was able to get along fine with her.

"So, seeing you here, I take you're here for the sushi special?" Asuka asked him with a knowing smile.

"You know me. I earned enough money for this meal, and I'm just dying to have that special again." Takeshi said while grinning at the though of their special.

"Of course you do..." Asuka said while shaking her head with a smile. "Well, take a seat and we'll come up with your order."

"Thanks." Takeshi said, as he sat down at the sushi bar. While doing so, he found a familiar man walking out of the kitchen. When the man noticed him, he simple gave him a nod of acknowledgment.

"Ah, Takeshi-kun. Here for the special again?" the man asked.

"That's right, Hanzo-san." Takeshi said, causing the elder man known as Hanzo to nod in acknowledgement to him.

"Special is ready!" Asuka called out as she placed the plate in front of Takeshi. Takeshi grinned as he brought out his chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu..."

* * *

 **(Kuoh Park)**

After staying at the sushi bar and having a chat with Asuka, he decided it's time to head home before it gets too dark. He noticed that he might've stayed a bit too long, and taking the usual route home will make the hour dark already. So he decided to take a shortcut through the park. He normally doesn't take the shortcut because the park was usually known for the "couple" time. So he didn't want to stumble across a couple having a good time.

As Takeshi gave a small jog across the park in hopes to avoid such a situation, his skin soon made a few goosebumps.

"What...?" Takeshi muttered, and looked at the area around him. He felt something disturbing in the air, and he didn't know why. Cautious of this, he carefully walked forward, knowing something is seriously wrong.

As he walked forward, he soon walked to the center of the park. And he was greeted with the sight of something he never expected.

Before him was a teenager before him, being impaled by a spear glowing with energy. Takeshi's eyes widened upon the sight, and even recognized who this teenager was. It's rather hard not to recognize him, as this guy has a rather infamous reputation.

Issei Hyoudou, one of the biggest perverts in Kuoh Academy, and is considered the leader of the Perverted Trio.

Takeshi watched with shock as he saw Issei just fall back with some sort of spear impaling him, and then fall to the ground while lying in a pool of his own blood. Takeshi's eyes widened upon the sight, and then he heard a chuckle ring through the air. He immedeatly turned his head towards the source, and his eyes widened upon the sight.

It was a young woman who appeared to be around his and Issei's age. She had long black hair that fell down to her hips and had violet eyes. She currently wore a short black dress with a small, light purple jacket on top. But the most important feature was the fact that she had black wings. Upon the sight, Takeshi muttered two words upon the sight.

"Fallen Angel...!" Takeshi muttered with surprise. When the Fallen Angel noticed his presence, all she did was give a cold smile.

"Oh? It appears we have a witness here. How unfortunate. For you I mean." the Fallen Angel said while giving a giggle. She then stood up from the fountain, and formed a spear in her hand.

"Sorry boy, but I'm afraid you have to die as well. Blame God for putting you in this mess." the Fallen Angel said as she raised her spear, ready to throw. However, Takeshi didn't plan on dying tonight.

'Fat chance...!' Takeshi thought, channeling magic through his body. He then summoned a magic circle in front of him, casting his spell. " **Electrical Fuzz!** " Takeshi shot forth a magical attack in the form of a small white orb with electricity pouring out of it. The Fallen Angel was caught off guard by his abilities as a Magician but soon blocked the attack with her spear. The attack impacted, causing sparks to fly everywhere, blinding the Fallen Angel for a bit.

"Gah!? A Magician!?" the Fallen Angel exclaimed in surprise, before she scowled. "Hmph! Looks like you just made it harder for me to kill you then! Fine! Let's see how long you'll last!" the Fallen Angel shouted as she swung her arms to dispel the spell, but the spell soon took form of a small spark ball that just flew around her. She gave a grunt of annoyance, seeing as to how she cannot get rid of it. But she soon threw her spear towards the target.

Seeing the incoming spear, Takeshi just raised his hands and hoped that it'll work. He then channeled magic into the spell, causing a magic barrier to form in front of him. The attack soon impacted, and it caused both spear and shield to shatter on impact. Takeshi jumped back a little at the shatter, and decided to cast his spell once more.

" **Cast on Beat**!" Takeshi casted spell on himself. It was a self-reinforcement spell that will help speed up his magic process. While this spell was considered a bit useful to Magicians, Magicians themselves don't generally use it, considering that a spell takes 2-3 seconds to cast a normal spell. However, Takeshi uses this self-reinforcement spell to his advantage.

" **Pulse Bullet!** " Takeshi then formed another magic circle in front of him, this time the magic circle poured out a lot of magic this time. Magic bullets came out like a machine gun, rapidly firing them at a non-stop rate. The Fallen Angel saw the myriad of bullets and immediately saw that it was dangerous to stay in its path. Each bullet looked weak, but a whole barrage? Not smart to test it out.

The Fallen Angel flew into the air, while Takeshi directed the magic circle to aim at the flying Fallen Angel. As he did, all he did was narrow his eyes. "Why did I leave my staff at home today...?" Takeshi muttered to himself, before focusing on shooting down the Fallen Angel. The Fallen Angel cursed to herself, seeing how this shower of bullets is attempting to hit her.

"Damn you Magician!" the Fallen Angel cursed as she raised her spear. "Die!" the Fallen Angel attempted to throw the spear, but Takeshi raised another arm and a small magic circle appeared in front of it.

" **Astral Bind!** " the spell then casted froth magical threads from the ground, and immediately wrap themselves around her wrist. Her eyes widened upon the spell, and Takeshi made the threads pull on her wrist, making her aim of her spear go way off target. It was then Takeshi directed the magic circle towards her once more, and this time deliver the the barrage of magic bullets towards her.

The Fallen Angel screamed in pain as she was faced with the bullets attacking her. However, Takeshi soon felt that his magic reserves weren't going to last if he kept up this sort of spell. The combination of his **Cast on Beat** and **Pulse Bullet** will drain his reserves, so he ended the assault of his attack. The results was that the Fallen Angel was still flying in the air, but had a bit of wounds all over her due to the attack he performed.

"Damn you human! I'll make you pay for this!" the Fallen Angel attempted to retaliate, but was soon caught off guard as a magic circle of red popped out of nowhere. When the Fallen Angel saw this, she scowled.

"Tch! It seems that she's going to be here." the Fallen Angel muttered with an annoyed tone. She then turned to him with a scowl. "It seems that I'll grant you mercy this time Magician! But mark my words, this won't be the last time you'll escape alive!" the Fallen Angel shouted, before she flew away and went into a bright light.

Seeing the battle done, Takeshi gave a heavy sigh while collapsing onto his butt.

"Hah...I really should've brought my staff with me..." Takeshi muttered to himself while shaking his head. "Damn, and that was my first time using magic in real life combat. I don't know if this is just a fluke or luck..." Takeshi said with relief, before he turned to find the magic circle glowing brighter. It was then a familiar person came out of the magic circle, something that Takeshi knows as well, due to the reputation and the constant words he hear throughout the school.

It was a young women with light skin, blue-green eyes, and a had a rather voluptuous figure. Her most distinctive feature is her long, crimson red hair that reaches down to her thighs, with a ahoge. Her hair also has loose bangs covering her forehead and side bangs framing her face. She also wore the standard Kuoh Academy female uniform.

This was Rias Gremory, the most popular girl at school. When she opened her eyes to see her surroundings, all she did was blink in surprise upon seeing the sight of him.

"Um...If I remember correctly, you are Takeshi Fuyushima?" Rias asked with a bit of surprise. Takeshi simply nodded at her.

"Urm, yeah..." Takeshi said, not knowing what else to say at this point, but just had one question in mind.

"Gremory-senpai, who exactly are you...?" Takeshi asked with confusion. Rias tilted her head at the question, before she gave a smile at him. It was then bat-like wings sprouted from her back, causing Takeshi to blink upon the sight.

"My name is Rias Gremory, a Devil." Rias introduced herself to him.

Silence passed between the Devil and Magician as soon as she said that.

"...Oh."

Looks like he won't be spending any time practicing in his basement.

* * *

 **And that is a wrap to this chapter, and the beginning of a new story!**

 **And here is a special note to all of you guys. The reason why Takeshi can only use Enchanter Magic is not from his talent or abilities. Rather, it is planned from the beginning and has meaning to it. All will be revealed later in the story.**

* * *

 **(The Raynare Clothing Cliche)**

 **You know the most painful and most common cliche in DxD stories? The fact that they use anime appearance of Raynare instead of her actual Light Novel appearance. Seriously, every time I look at Raynare in DxD, I always cringe to myself to the fact that the animators decided to say "Oh hey, since this is an ecchi anime, let's make her ecchi as well!". I understand that is was an ecchi anime, but to downgrade the appearance of someone into that? I just cringed a bit.**

 **Seriously, I'm like a small percentage of authors who use Light Novel appearance Raynare. Though, I'm not one to talk, considering I used Raynare's ecchi appearance in my previous stories. But that was before I realized the light novel appearance.  
**

* * *

 **(Takeshi's Alignment/Species)**

 **Takeshi will stay human and not join any Peerages. I also barely see any OC that is primarily a Magician him/herself throughout the story. Most of the time, it's mostly OCs who are Magicians and join Peerages themselves.**

 **I should also mention that Takeshi is a special type of human.** **If it makes you guys feel any better, Takeshi isn't Half-Devil, Half-Fallen Angel, nor is he Half-Angel. I find that thing sort of generic when it comes to an OC's species. Just what is he then, you may ask? You'll just have to read and find out.**

* * *

 **OC Profile**

 **Name: Takeshi Fuyushima**

 **Race: Human (With Special Trait)  
**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Sexuality: Straight**

 **Appearance: A young man with short black hair and brown eyes, and wears glasses. Look at the cover image to have better visualization.**

 **Personality: Caring, Carefree, Intelligent, and Mature.  
**

 **Abilities:**

 **1) Enchanter Magic - This particular magic is mainly support type magic as explained in the chapter. It is considered rather helpful when it comes to crowd control, hindering enemies, and supporting allies, but this magic is rarely used since most people fight alone with the skills rather than have teamwork with others. The spells I'm going to use come directly from the Light Novel/Anime** **Log Horizon, mainly the Enchanter Class Skills.**

 **2) To be revealed later.  
**

 **3) To be revealed later.** **  
**

 **4) To be revealed later.  
**

 **5) To be revealed later.  
**

 **Equipment:**

 **1) To be revealed later.  
**

 **2) To be revealed later.** **  
**

 **3) To be revealed later.  
**

 **4) To be revealed later.  
**

 **Harem:{Going to be revealed as the story goes on. Meaning I won't give you the entire harem list at the beginning}  
**

 **Notice: His harem isn't going to involve Issei's harem, so it is outside. I'm not really into that sort of thing (with the exception of my Zero story).**

 **Background:**

 **Takeshi was originally an orphan who was raised at the orphanage. One day, a man came before him and asked if he wanted to be his son. Being the child that he is, he immediately accepted with a smile, causing the man before him to smile as well.** **When adopted, Takeshi learned one crucial fact about his adoptive father: he is a magician. When he learned of this, he too wanted to learn and follow the art of magic.**

 **His adoptive father accepted, and teached him the ways of magic. However, for some reason, Takeshi's progress with magic didn't go so far, as both son and father don't know why this is happening. His father did the best he could, but he couldn't find out about Takeshi's progress with magic.**

 **A few years after his adoption, his adoptive father passed away due to a terminal illness that couldn't be treated through any medical or magical means of magic.** **Saddened by this, Takeshi continued on the ways of magic to honor for everything his father gave to him. Unfortunately, his ability with magic is rather difficult, as he has the hardest of time developing spells. The only thing that he is compatible with is a type of magic known is Enchanter magic.**

 **Even with his limitations, Takeshi hopes to work hard and become a successful Magician just like his adoptive father.**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	2. The Dealer

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other elements involved.**

 **Hey guys. Thanks for all your support and your condolences. It made me feel a bit better knowing that you guys are there to give me support.**

 **Plus, I had a lot of writing to work with and ideas, so...the second chapter of this came fast to me.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Dealer  
**

 **(Home)**

"...What a long night that was..." Takeshi muttered to himself tiredly. After the incident that happens within the park, he felt physically and mentally tired from what transpired. His fight with the Fallen Angel, and then the revelation of Rias Gremory being a Devil.

After their introduction, Rias then walked over to the corpse of his classmate, and simply picked his body up. The two then vanished from his sight. If he could remember correctly, his late father told him that Devils have this thing called Evil Pieces, which will basically turn anyone into a Devil. Takeshi kind of hoped that it was Rias's intention, considering that his classmate died for some unknown reason. Even if Issei is a pervert through and through, that doesn't mean he deserve to die.

Takeshi was seriously surprised when he fought the Fallen Angel. Not just because of the Fallen Angel alone, but the battle itself. Having zero experience in combat, Takeshi just did whatever he can from his past training and what to do in battle. He certainly didn't expect himself to use his Enchanter spells to the utmost efficiency and use it to manipulate the battle. Then again, Enchanter magic is a magic that will help manipulate the battle in his favor, but he didn't expect it to use it so well on his first try.

It was just that when the battle came to him, his mind suddenly went into some form of mode. Like he mentally prepared himself for this kind of battle, even though it was his first time. He didn't know why, but he was at least thankful for it. But he decided not to think too much on it, and just focus on getting some sleep.

"I guess my training paid off...or it was just fluke and luck..." Takeshi said tiredly to himself. He changed into his sleeping attire, and headed straight into his room. As he did, he noticed his cat Blair in the room sitting on his desk while looking at him with a tilted head.

"Sorry Blair-chan, I'm just a bit too tired from what happened tonight. I'm just going to get some sleep. I'm too tired to practice with my magic..." Takeshi muttered sleepily as he collapsed onto his bed and laid his head onto the pillow. He then closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him and let it take away his exhaustion.

He could've sworn that he saw some outline of a woman with cat ears near him before he went to sleep.

* * *

 **(Morning)**

For the first time in his morning schedule, Takeshi found himself walking to school at a casual pace this time. Well, considering that he collapsed onto his bed and didn't spend his time training his magic did give him the hours of sleep he needed and the time to wake up.

'So this is what it feels like to just walk to school. It honestly feels less tiring and stressful than my usual mornings...' Takeshi thought to himself with a considering tone. 'Perhaps I do need to sleep a little early...' Takeshi thought to himself.

He soon found himself walking through the school gates at a casual pace. But there was one thing he didn't expect to see once he crossed the gates.

"Hey...isn't that Fuyushima-kun? Doesn't he appear nearly late for school?"

"Yeah...he's actually here before school actually begins..."

"Well that's a shocker..."

Takeshi sweat dropped at the comments he received.

'Did I really gain a reputation based on me almost being late? I didn't know that was even considered special to people at this school...huh...the more you know.' Takeshi thought, not really bothered by their comments. Rather, he just accepted it in a positive manner and just went along with it.

Then again, he did know that the student body of this academy really loved to spread word around and try to make a big deal out of it. Special examples include Yuuto Kiba's princely attitude and Koneko Toujou's cuteness. Infamous included, such as the Perverted Trio, as if that wasn't obvious enough.

"Well this is a surprise Fuyushima-kun." a familiar voice said near Takeshi, causing him to blink and turn towards Souna Shitori. The student council president stood there with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, Kaichou. Lovely morning, isn't it?" Takeshi simply greeted her with a laid back smile. The young student council president simple folded her arms.

"Yes, I suppose it is..." the young woman said while looking at him with that sharp analytical look of hers. "While it makes me wonder what brought on this change, it seems I won't have to scold you for almost being late. You better keep this change up for the sake of yourself, otherwise you'll make things stressful for both you and me. Best keep that in mind Fuyushima-kun." Souna told him with that usual stern tone of hers as she walked passed him.

"Roger that Kaichou..." Takeshi said with a lazy salute, and made his way to class.

"I guess getting a few more hours of sleep is really good for you..."

* * *

 **(Classroom)**

After finishing class, Takeshi just sighed as he leaned back on his chair. As he leaned backwards, he was met with the sight of a pair of large breasts once again. He blinked a bit, before recognizing who it was.

"Oh, Kiyome-chan." Takeshi greeted his childhood friend. The young woman simply sighed at him.

"Normally, I would yell at you to stop calling me that, but there is something more important." Kiyome said while sighing. She then recognized the position they're in, and she blushed as she backed up away from him.

"Do you mind?" Kiyome asked him with an embarrassed tone. Takeshi simply shrugged at her.

"Hey, you were the one who walked in on me while I was in that position." Takeshi responded, causing Kiyome to childishly glare at him, but just coughed to hide her blush.

"Anyways..." Kiyome said, trying to having the topic back in focus. "Thanks to the rumor system in this academy, I caught wind that you actually came to school without burning your shoes." Kiyome told him with a raised eyebrow. Takeshi rose up from his position nodded at her.

"I know, right? Even I'm surprised with myself..." Takeshi commented while a thoughtful look as he eased his body onto the desk and slouched on it with his arms crossed and head on top.

"So what brought this sudden change?" Kiyome asked curiously with a raised eyebrow. Takeshi simply shrugged at her, and figured that his childhood friend will ask that sort of question.

"Oh, something really big came up, and it required my attention and effort. So by the end of it, I ended up exhausted and crashed right into bed." Takeshi answered her, causing Kiyome to frown at him as she folded her arms underneath her large breasts.

"What kind of event?" Kiyome questioned, causing Takeshi to simply scratch the back of his head.

"Well, after I finished having dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant, I noticed that it was almost late, so I took a shortcut through the park." Takeshi told her, making Kiyome blink upon what he just said.

"Wait, isn't that the time where couples usually do their own activities there?" Kiyome pointed out. Takeshi nodded at her.

"Yeah, but I was lucky that no couple was there last night. However, I managed to come across an injured man who unfortunately had an accident happen upon him. I think it was a skateboard accident if I remember correctly..." Takeshi said while successfully playing a bit ignorant to the story he manage create. It was technically true with last night's events, minus the skateboard detail part.

"I see..."

"So after that, I ended up calling 119 and had to stay with the poor guy to make sure he's alright. Thankfully, help arrive right on time and took him away." Takeshi explained, once again creating a story similar to Issei and Rias coming in to help.

"Well, I guess that explains a few things." Kiyome said with a nod. "I guess you're good act last night must've exhausted you. I would be too after coming across an event like that." Kiyome said with acceptance.

'Well that's one cover up story taken care of...' Takeshi thought to himself while nodding at her. "Yeah. And now, I learned that getting your a few extra hours of sleep does help you a lot. And honestly, less tiring." Takeshi said with a grin.

"Obviously. You need the rest Takeshi-kun, or else you'll end up crashing." Kiyome chided him.

"Alright _mom_ , I'll be sure to go to bed on time..." Takeshi said with a playful tone, making Kiyome lightly huff at him while lightly slapping his arm.

"Don't sass me Takeshi-kun."

The two childhood friends silently looked at each other, before the two went off into light chuckles upon their small banter. As they did, a young man with short blonde hair entered his classroom. He looked around, and spotted Takeshi.

"Yo, Fuyushima." the young man called out to him, causing Takeshi to turn his attention towards the person, and blinked on who he saw.

"Um...you're...Saji, right?" Takeshi asked, partially recognizing the man in front of him. He heard that he was the student council's secretary recently, but not much else to say about him. The young man known as Saji nodded at him.

"Yeah, that's me. Kaichou sent me to get you because she wants to discuss something." Saji told him, causing both Takeshi and Kiyome to blink at this information.

"Kaichou? I wonder what she wants with me?" Takeshi muttered to himself both with confusion and curiosity, before he packed up his stuff. "Alright, I got it. Let me just pack up my staff then." Takeshi said as he began cleaning up his table. He then noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Kiyome looked a bit concerned upon this. Seeing this, Takeshi turned to her with a small smile.

"Don't worry Kiyome-chan. I'm sure I'm not in too much trouble. I don't remember doing anything wrong." Takeshi reassured her, but Kiyome simply bit her lip.

"I'm sure..." Kiyome said skeptically. Takeshi just gave her a reassuring grin to her.

"Oh relax. I'll be out of there before you know it without any trouble on me." Takeshi told her as he walked pass her, not noticing the look Kiyome gave him.

Takeshi soon followed Saji out of his classroom, and the two walked together towards the student council room. As they did walk together, he turned to the blond man with a raised eyebrow.

"So you have any idea why Kaichou is calling out for me in the first place? I mean, I haven't exactly caused any trouble around here..." Takeshi said while trying to look back at his memory to see if he did anything wrong, other than her scolding him about him almost being late. Saji simply shook his head.

"It's not like that Fuyushima. She just wants to talk to you." Saji said, but he grumbled a bit under his breath.

"Something wrong?" Takeshi asked, seeing the grumble.

"It's nothing." Saji responded. Seeing he won't answer him, Takeshi simply just shrugged.

He'll get his answers sooner or later.

* * *

 **(Student Council Room)**

The two soon arrived at the student council room, and Saji pushed open the doors. As he walked inside the room, he realized this was his first time inside the Student Council Room.

The room was quite spacious, with one long rectangular desk in the middle of the room, probably for the Student Council members to do their work. He saw a few file cabinets on the side of the room, and saw one small sofa on the other side of the room. At the end of the room was one long rectangular window that allowed light to flow into the room.

Upon entering the room, he saw that all the Student Council members were there, each one of them working at their respective work spaces. But he also noticed a few additions to the room as well.

That addition being Rias Gremory herself, as well as a few other people he recognizes, due to their great influence and presence within the school.

Standing near Rias is Akeno Himejima, the second most popular girl at school, who also happens to possess a highly voluptuous figure as well. She had long black hair tied in a pony tail, and she stood there with the usual smile on her face. For some reason, thought, Takeshi just felt chills when he noticed her presence.

The other person is Yuuto Kiba, the school's most popular male and titled "Prince of Kuoh". He is known to be the ideal boyfriend for every single female in the student body, and the receiver of ire and hatred from the males of the school. He swore that every time Yuuto walked by while he was around, females were always asking him for dates while the guys were sending death glares, like they were trying to murder the guy. For that fact, Takeshi just pitied Yuuto for having to endure such a thing.

And lastly, there was Koneko Toujou. A petite girl with short white hair, she is unofficially announced as the school mascot, due to her cuteness. A disturbing rumor he heard going around was that Koneko was targeted by a few secret lolicons in the school, despite the fact that she is 15. He noted how weird that was, but he guessed that was their taste. A weird and disturbing taste for that one.

Each person before him held a reputation in school, and they fact that they were here with Rias could only mean one thing.

'Wait...are they...?' Takeshi thought in realization. Before he could continue his thoughts, he heard Souna's voice enter his ears.

"You brought him Saji-kun. Good. You may go take your seat." Souna told him, causing Saji to straighten at her.

"Right!" Saji said with a diligent tone, and immediately moved to follow her commands. Takeshi couldn't help but notice his positive and diligent responses towards Souna, unlike the other people he interacted with. He decided to think about it later and focus on what is important here.

"Fuyushima-kun, please take a seat. We have a lot to discuss about." Souna told him, causing Takeshi to silently nod at her as he took a seat. He then noticed all eyes on him, and it made him almost twitch at the attention he was getting.

"Now then Fuyushima-kun, do you know why you're here?" Souna asked him, causing Takeshi to silently shake his head. "I see..." Sonua said as she folded her fingers together while closing her eyes in thought. "If that's the case, then I believe it is better if we introduce ourselves for more understanding."

'Understanding?' Takeshi thought, before he was met with the sight of multiple bat-like wings pop out of their backs, just like the ones he saw that night. Takeshi's eyes widened a bit upon seeing this.

'...Oh...Oooooohhh...they're all Devils...' Takeshi thought with realization and surprise. He was surprised by the fact that there were more Devils in the area than he thought, and a bit alarmed because they're Devils. His late father told him about the Three Factions, and he saw that Devils and Fallen Angels must be approached carefully. Some Devils and Fallen Angels will come to humanity with intent to kill, but a majority of them usually don't want to associate or harm them at all. Rather, they either leave humans alone or interact with them for their own needs.

It was just a small part of him that told him to be cautious of the Devils. He wasn't sure whether they tend to be of harm to the school, but there really wasn't much or even anything done by them, so he supposed they're harmless under the right circumstances.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Sona Sitri, heir to the Sitri household. The Student Council as you know is my Peerage" Sona introduced herself, as well as her Peerage around her.

Takeshi went silent for a bit, before he scratched the back of his head upon the information.

"Devils, huh? Well that was unexpected." Takeshi said while maintaining a calm mind.

"We didn't know that you were a Magician either, Fuyushima-kun." Rias told him while smiling. "In any case, based on our previous meeting, it seems you possess knowledge about the Three Factions. And you also didn't seem to know who I was, nor Sona for that matter. So I'm guessing that you no knowledge of Devils in this area?" Rias asked him with a raised eyebrow. Takeshi nodded at her.

"Well, that's one good observation there. Yes, I didn't really know that Devils were in this area. To be honest, I thought I was the only person with special powers in the area. Guess that's taken of the list…" Takeshi said while sighing.

"So you lived in this area without knowing who we are. Well, I suppose it's understandable with the given circumstances." Sona said with a patient tone.

"So what now? Are you guys going to kick me out due to me living in your territory, or…?" Takeshi asked with a slightly anxious tone, seeing how he's living in someone's territory. However, both Kings of their Peerage shook their heads.

"There is no need for you to do such things Fuyushima-kun. We understand that you lived in our territory without knowing, thus showing that you aren't a threat, so long as you don't show any signs of aggression, we shall do the same." Sona told him, causing Takeshi to sigh in relief.

"Oh really? That's a relief to hear…" Takeshi said with a relieved tone. Rias just giggled at his expression.

"Now then, now that the issue is out of the way, do you have any questions?" Rias asked him. Takeshi looked down in thought, before he blink upon something.

"Is Hyoudou alright?" Takeshi asked the crimson haired princess, causing Rias to nod at him.

"Issei is alright Takeshi-kun. I've already healed him with my magic, as well as using the Evil Pieces to give him a stronger body." Rias answered him.

"Oh, well that's good to hear…" Takeshi commented.

"Hm? I didn't know you were that close to Issei Takeshi-kun." Rias said with intrigue, but Takeshi shook his head at her.

"It's not like that. I barely know him, but all I do know is that he was innocent, and the Fallen Angel just killed him for an unknown reason." Takeshi explained.

"So there is a Fallen Angel within the area…" Sona muttered with narrowed eyes, before she looked at Takeshi with a raised eyebrow. "And you've managed to escape without any harm?" Sona asked. Takeshi nodded at her while scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, to be honest, it was more of a fluke or luck. If Gremory-senpai hasn't shown up, I might've ended up a bit worst." Takeshi answered, causing Rias to look at him with a surprised look, along with the others.

"Really now? But you've managed to survive before I arrived. So I assumed you're a skilled Magician." Rias pointed out, causing Takeshi to give a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Not really. I'm still a Magician in training to be honest. I'm still having difficulty casting a basic fireball spell." Takeshi admitted with a slightly embarrassed tone and expression, surprising everyone in the room.

"If that's the case, then how did you survive then?" Sona asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, despite the fact that I'm not a skilled Magician, I'm actually a bit proficient in Enchanter Magic. But even that magic is barely used." Takeshi explained, causing everyone in the room to look at him with surprised expressions.

"…Well this is unexpected." Rias said with a surprised expression. She then sighed. "Well, even so, your skills must've been at least good enough to help you survive. So it ended well for you." Rias said.

"Indeed. Now that we're done with this type of discussion, I just have one question for Fuyushima-kun here." Sona said as she looked at Takeshi.

"What is it?" Takeshi asked.

"Are you interested in joining my Peerage?" Sona asked, causing surprise to go throughout the room.

"Seriuosly…!?" Saji whispered with surprise, before he eyed Takeshi with a skeptical look.

"Sona! You're asking him without giving me the chance to ask!?" Rias said in shock. "You sly Devil!" Rias said with an accused Devil. It was then Sona broke out into a small smile as she pushed up her glasses.

"I could say the same for you Rias." Sona said cooly. "I've already let Issei Hyoudou into your Peerage due to certain circumstances. However, I believe it is my turn to ask for a new possible Peerage member as well." Sona responded with a calm tone. But for some reason, Takeshi could've felt the smug air around her.

All he did was just see Rias pout heavily at Sona, before she huffed. Seeing their little fight come to an end, Sona turned back to Takeshi with a raised eyebrow.

"Fuyushima-kun, what is your answer?" Sona asked him. Takeshi kept silent for a while, before he looked back up to her.

"…Sorry Kaichou. I'm not really interested in joining Peerages. As much as power and riches sound nice for joining a Peerage, I'd say I'm rather content with my current life." Takeshi answered her honestly. Sona didn't give a sigh, but merely closed her eyes upon his answer.

"I see." Sona responded. "If that is the case, then I shall respect your decision. However, do note that a spot is available to you." Sona told him, causing Takeshi to nod at her.

"I'll keep that in mind." Takeshi told her, as he stood up from his seat. "Well, it was nice introducing ourselves to each other. Hopefully, we can get along with the way things are going now. Later." Takeshi waved a goodbye to the Devils in the room as he exited out of the door.

* * *

 **(Hallways)**

"Well, I guess everything turned out well, all things considered." Takeshi said while sighing with relief.

"So I guess I'm living with Devils now. I'm sure things won't be too bad if we just leave each other alone. They all seem like reasonable people." Takeshi told himself as he continued to walk down the hallways.

As he continued to do so, he soon heard a voice call out to him.

"Takeshi-kun."

The voice caused Takeshi to turn his head towards the source of the voice, which turned out to be Kiyome leaning against the wall. Takeshi just blinked at her appearance.

"Oh, Kiyome-chan. You needed me for something?" Takeshi asked her. However, Kiyome simply walked up to him with a narrow look.

"Tell me, did anything happen to you when you went to meet with Kaichou?" Kiyome immediately asked him, causing Takeshi to tilt his head at her in confusion.

"Happen to me? What are you talking about?" Takeshi asked her in confusion. The girl simply furrowed her eyebrows.

"I mean…did anything about you change after you left the room?" Kiyome pressed on, causing Takeshi to look highly confused upon this.

"Huh? Nothing changed about me at all Kiyome-chan. I don't get what you're talking about. If you're concerned about me getting in trouble with Kaichou, it's nothing really. All she did was ask me questions regarding about school." Takeshi said while covering up his chat with Sona.

Kiyome started at him for a bit longer, before she huffed as she crossed her arms.

"...Well then, if that's the case, then I'll just take my leave." Kiyome told him as she walked away from him, leaving him really confused upon what happened.

"…I really don't get what is going on with her…" Takehsi muttered, before he turned and walked away.

* * *

 **(Student Council Room)**

"Did you change Takeshi-kun into a Devil?" Kiyome bluntly asked Sona as she crossed her arms underneath her large bust. The moment she departed with her childhood friend was the moment she made a B-Line for the Student Council Room and demand answers from Sona. And she did so literally, as she just opened the doors without any care and just asked her without offering any pleasantries.

"Hello to you to Abe-san..." Sona greeted calmly, not perturbed by her sudden appearance. "And what was that question you have asked earlier?" Sona said, as she didn't really catch on with the question because of the sudden appearance.

"I said did you turn Takeshi-kun into a Devil?" Kiyome repeated once more. Sona blinked at this, before she shook her head.

"No. He turned down our offer." Sona answered, causing the young Beast Tamer to sigh in relief.

"Oh, I see..." Kiyome said with a relieved tone, before she raised an eyebrow at her. "Wait, then why did you call him here in the first place? I know he almost runs late, but I've never seen him get into trouble." Kiyome pointed out. Sona pushed up her glasses.

"We were simply discussing a few things about what happen last night. He was telling us how a Fallen Angel has attacked both Issei Hyoudou and him." Sona told her, causing Kiyome's eyes to widen upon this.

"Fallen Angels!?" Kiyome said in shock. Sona nodded at her.

"Fortunately for Fuyushima-kun, he managed to escape without any injuries. We took him today for him to inform us on what specifically happened." Sona explained to her. Kiyome blinked upon this information, before she raised an eyebrow upon something she now realized.

"Wait...you invited him to your Peerage, and he managed to escape a Fallen Angel unharmed. What exactly makes him special?" Kiyome asked her. Sona blinked upon this question.

"You mean you do not know? I assumed that you being an Beast Tamer, I though you knew each others identities." Sona told her, causing Kiyome to blink upon this.

"Wait, what do you exactly mean?" Kiyome questioned.

"Fuyushima-kun is a Magician Abe-san. You did not know that?" Sona asked with a raised eyebrow. Sona didn't see that as a no, as she saw the shock evident on the young woman's face.

"...Excuse me." Kiyome immediately said, excusing herself out of the room immediately at a fast pace. She didn't bother giving a proper goodbye, as she was processing the information given to her.

As soon as she left the room, she walked a good distance away from it, and then proceeded to rub her temples heavily.

"...Takeshi-kun is a Magician. That...That honestly explains everything..." Kiyome muttered to herself. She heavily sighed upon this.

It made sense and explained everything. Why Takeshi kept giving vague answers to her, why he sometimes acts a bit strange, and he does his best to cover something. She honestly couldn't blame him, considering that fact that Magic must be kept from public. Just like him, she must also hide the fact that she is a Beast Tamer. And she also kept secrets from him as well.

"...I don't know if this brings me ease or worry upon this fact. Being at ease that he and I have a lot more common, or I should worry about what he is getting himself into..." Kiyome whispered to herself.

* * *

 **(After School - Home - Underground Floor)**

A day has passed since his meeting with the Peerages, and thankfully, things have gone normally, with the added exception of Issei being added into Rias's Peerage. Takeshi couldn't help but chuckle at the negative feedback of the entire student body towards Issei joining the Occult Research Club, all of them speculating that he's blackmailing Rias Gremory for his own perverted needs.

Well, it is understandable in the sight of normal people. It also didn't help that Issei had such a bad reputation to begin with anyway.

"...Let's see, let's see..." Takeshi muttered to himself, sitting in the middle of his training room. In front of him laid multiple papers with sketches of magic formulas and equations laid before him. "If I maybe change the numbers or adjust this part of the circle, I may be able to adjust this certain spell to match my own capabilities..." Takeshi pondered, before he narrowed his eyes upon seeing something.

"...No. If that we're to happen, there may be side effects or errors to the spells, making it ineffective or in worst case scenario, blow up in my face. I'd rather not get blown up by my own magic..." Takehsi muttered to himself, picking up the paper he had in his hand and crumpled the paper into a ball, and then toss it into a nearby recycle bin nearby him.

Takeshi gave a tired sigh as he laid down on the floor, his eyes staring up to the ceiling.

"Magic is more complicated than it is. Makes me wonder how those gifted magicians manage to do it with ease..." Takeshi quietly muttered to himself. His ears soon picked up a soft meow, and he turned his head to see Blair walking up to him. He picked himself up, and petted his cat as it got close to him. The pet gave a soft purr as it did.

"Hey Blair-chan." Takeshi greeted his cat. "Just as usual, your Magician is struggling with the wonders of magic. But he'll succeed in it someday..." Takeshi softly told Blair while letting a comforted smile appear on his face while his cat simply nuzzled into him.

After a few moments of petting and silence, he decided to stand up and pat the imaginary dust off of his pants.

"Welp, time to see what the library has to offer." Takeshi said to himself, before he walked towards a door in the ride of the room. As he approached the door, he channeled some magic into it. The door soon glowed, and a circle with multiple movable parts appeared before him. It's something his late father managed to set up for a certain specific room.

Seeing that the circle is a password to the room, he simply arranged the circle to the correct codes. The magic circle soon glowed, and faded away. A door click was soon made, and Takeshi followed through the door.

When he entered inside the room, he was greeted with a vast library, large enough to put public libraries to shame. The walls were high, and had shelves of books everywhere. Around the room were stalls of books as well. This library room was personally made by his father with his practice with dimensional pocket magic, a very advanced magic to practice at a scale like this. It also helped that his late father was a rather avid collector and researcher of magic, so he got many books.

Takeshi hummed to himself as he walked into the room, with Blair following after him. Scrolling through the sections, Takeshi could go through each book he could find.

"Let's see...Let's see...Let's see..." Takeshi muttered to himself. "No...I can't really master you. No, too complicated and advanced even for me to practice. Tried you, but it's an epic fail." Takeshi commented, before he reached for a ladder nearby.

"All right, let's see what's on the upper shelves..." Takeshi made his way up the latter to find a grimoire he could work on. After going up a few steps, Takeshi soon caught a particular book in his eye.

"Nature magic? Well, I haven't tried that before..." Takeshi said, reaching for the book. He made his way down the latter, and cleared the dust off of the grimoire. As soon as he held it, he closed his eyes.

"All right weird abilities, do your thing..." Takeshi muttered to himself, before he concentrated on the closed book before him. As he did, he felt a certain feeling in his head, before he felt his mind become rushed with information, and he felt himself reading through the entire book in under a few seconds, word by word, picture by picture. The process soon ended after that, and Takeshi opened his eyes to look at the grimoire before him.

"And that's another book memorized..." Takeshi quietly said to himself.

There is something strange he found about himself. Whenever he comes into contact with a book, no matter what kind of book, he always manages to memorize all of the contents and information within it. And the memory sticks well within his brain, like looking it up in a computer. His mind had that sort of power. Strange thing is, it's not even some sort of magic he applies. It's more of a ability that is a part of him.

He and his late father tried to figure it out, but they came up with dead ends. Whatever it is, Takeshi intends to find out, along with developing his magic skills.

"Well, nature magic needs nature, kinda obvious enough..." Takeshi said as he shrugged to himself, before he decided to leave the library.

"Later Blair-chan! I'm going out for a nature walk!" Takeshi called out to his cat. "Oh, I better take the staff out for a spin to!"

* * *

 **(Forest)**

Takeshi decided to go out to the forest near Kuoh and practice his magic there. He was currently in a secluded part of the forest, and Takeshi had a concentrated look on his face as he focused on his magic. He was currently trying to focus on the basic step of nature magic: growing a lead on a tree. However, Takeshi found himself in quite a predicament when nothing is resulting, no matter how much time and magic is spent on it.

After a considerable amount of time, Takeshi gave an exhausted breath as he took a few steps away from the tree.

"Welp, that's a bust..." Takeshi muttered to himself, seeing the fruits of his labor before him. "I can't even grow a single leaf. Guess that means nature magic is out of my reach..." Takeshi said to himself as he scratched the back of his head, and then looked towards the staff in his hand. It is a a brown finely wooden shaped staff with a grip near the top-end of the staff. Attached at the top of the staff is a C like wooden shape with a slanted block on top off it.

His late father called it the **Prudent Owl Cane** , a special Magician staff that is blessed by some divine owl that me met during his travels. According to his late father, this staff greatly increases both magic power and casting time.

"Even with the staff, it still does nothing..." Takeshi silently muttered to himself with his expression slightly a bit down.

"*Whistle*...your magic skills are sure taking a hard time, huh?" a voice spoke with an intrigued tone.

Takeshi's eyes widened, and he immediately turned to the source of the noise while raising his staff.

" **Electrical Fuzz!** " Takeshi casted the spell upon reaction, sending out a ball of electricity towards whoever talked to him. As it flew through the air, he heard a bit of a zapping noise and flash.

"...Ow?" a figure said, a bit unsure if the spell caused damage or pain. The figure walked out of the trees, and Takeshi had a good view on who the figure is. It is a man who appears to be in his twenties while wearing some form of yukata. He has black hair, golden bangs and black goatee.

The man before Takeshi simply scratched the back of his head while looking down at his chest, where there is a bit of burnt cloth at his chest level.

"I don't know if that was supposed to damage me, but I will say this." the man said as he pointed to the electrical orb that is floating around him while trying to damage him. "Gonna take more than that if you want to even scratch me." the man said with an amused smile.

At the same time, Takeshi grew more alarmed upon seeing the man. He knew that he sucked at most magic, but his Enchanter spells should've caused some damage. The man before him took his attack like some 10 year old kid threw his baseball at him. So Takeshi took a few steps back while raising his staff, readying himself for a possible battle between him and the unknown figure.

"Woah woah, easy there kid. I don't mean any harm..." the man said while putting up his hands to show that he means no harm. "I just want to talk. Is that a bit too much to ask?" the man asked with a relaxed expression.

Takeshi stayed a bit silent, before he slightly lowered his staff.

"All right...what do you want to talk about? I highly doubt that you're a human, considering that you shrugged off my spell like its nothing." Takeshi told him.

"You have sharp eyes. Seems like you do fit the description." the man said with a nod. Takeshi frowned a bit, before he decided to ask the question that has been bugging him.

"I don't mean to be rude, but who exactly are you?" Takeshi asked with a raised eyebrow. His was answered with the sight of twelve black wings popping out of the man's back.

"Well, we can start it off by saying that I am Azazel, Governer of the Grigori. Nice to meet ya." the man, now known as Azazel, introduced himself with a nonchalant wave. Takeshi silently stood there for a few moments, blinking a few times upon seeing the man. It was then he recognized who the man is before him.

"Oh...Oh...Oooooooohhhh..." Takeshi managed to utter out, before his body slightly slumped in recognition. "...Huh. No wonder I didn't really damage you." Takeshi commented. Azazel simply chuckled.

"It'll take more than that if you want to at least leave a scratch on me." Azazel told him while simply dusting off the area he was hit.

"Well, I guess I'm sorry for...attempting to hurt you?" Takeshi tried to phrase it correctly.

"Meh, no harm done. Literally and figuratively." Azazel said with a shrug. "But anyways, don't worry, I'm not here to cause any harm. I prefer talking." Azazel said. Takeshi looked a bit unsure upon this, before he lowered his staff.

"So...what do you want to talk about?" Takeshi questioned. It wasn't everyday that you get to meet with a leader of a faction. Especially the leader of a faction that had its member try to kill you. He was surprised how he is dealing with the situation itself. It was then he realized something else.

"Wait, here's a better question. Why do you choose to reveal yourself now of all times?" Takeshi questioned. Azazel simple chuckled upon hearing the question.

"You're a pretty sharp kid at this age. Let's see..." Azazel said while stroking his chin in thought. "Ah yes, now I remember. Do you remember the night that a Fallen Angel attacked you?" Azazel asked. Takeshi stayed silent a bit, remembering those memories a bit, before he silently nodded at the Governor

"Good. I have to tell you something. Even though the Gremory heiress managed to intervene in time, it isn't everyday that a Magician like you manages to escape unscathed from a battle with a Fallen Angel. Especially Raynare. She's a bit above the average two-winged Fallen Angels, but still below that of a four winged Fallen Angel. And you managing to fend her off requires either a lot of luck, or just skill." Azazel told him, before he noticed that area around him. "And to top it all off, a beginner like you has survived. No offense by the way."

"None taken." Takeshi simply replied. "Well, if anything, the Fallen Angel I fought is more out of pure luck. I saw her a bit arrogant, used whatever I had in my arsenal, and use the time available to me to just survive." Takeshi said.

"That counts as well, and that's more than enough." Azazel said, before he gave a small smirk towards Takeshi. "Tell you what, how about we make a deal?" Azazel said. Takeshi slightly narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.

"Depends. What kind of deal are we talking about?" Takeshi asked. Azazel then reached into his pocket and took out three pictures.

"Recently, four of my subordinates disobeyed my orders. I never ordered anyone to be killed, or even a certain project that is about to unfold sometime in the future. I want this to be stopped before it gets out of control." Azazel told him.

"But wait. You're the leader of the Griogori. Can't you just..." Takeshi said, before his eyes widened a bit. "Wait, if I remember anything from politics and structural workings, you intervening will only serve to make things worst. You're an important figure, and anything you do is significant. So stopping this particular activity might upset balance within your faction, showing an abuse of power of sorts." Takeshi said with realization. Azazel gave an impressed whistle upon hearing that.

"Definitely a smart and sharp kid. I'm glad I chose you." Azazel said with a nod. Takeshi realized on where Azazel is going with.

"...You want me to stop your subordinates." Takeshi said with realization.

"And that's not all. I also want you to capture four of my subordinates and bring them to me alive." Azazel also added in. Takeshi stood there as he blinked owlishly at his request, before he scratched the back of his head.

"...That's a LOT to have on my plate." Takeshi said with a sigh, before he looked at Azazel with a raised eyebrow. "What do I gain out of all this, if I succeed?" Takeshi asked.

"What will you gain? Well, how about a personal favor in return by yours truly?" Azazel offered with a small smile. "It can be anything you want, so long as it is within my power to do so." Azazel told him, making Takeshi pause upon hearing this.

'...Let's see here. Stop four Fallen Angels, who have the power to kill me if they want to, from going on with their plans. And I also have to do it discreetly, otherwise things will get even more complicated. And to top it all of, I need to take them in alive and back to Azazel, who says he'll owe be a favor after it's all done. Or simply say no, and turn a blind eye towards this whole thing while Rias, Sona, and the others can take care of this whole shindig.' Takeshi mentally summarized, before he nodded at the choice before him.

'Welp, I know what my answer is going to be, which was pretty obvious from the start.' Takeshi thought to himself, and looked back at Azazel who stood there with a patient look on his face.

"...I'll accept your deal. But only on one condition." Takeshi said to Azazel, making the leader of the Grigori raise an intrigued eyebrow upon hearing this.

"And what would that be?" Azazel asked curiously.

"If I'm going to do this, then there is no way I can do it on my own. I'm a novice magician who only knows Enchanter magic. If I'm going to get into this whole mess that's set up before me, then I need help. You will have to send someone you trust to help me." Takeshi told Azazel, making the man blink upon the condition.

"Well now, increasing your chances of success with some help? You must be really after that favor." Azazel said with an amused smirk. Takeshi only shook his head in response.

"You can take away the favor if you want. What I'm doing is making sure the innocents of this area doesn't get caught up into this." Takeshi told Azazel. Azazel blinked upon hearing this, before he gave a chuckle upon hearing this.

"Well now, isn't that something?" Azazel said, before he held out his hand to Takeshi. "Sure, I'll accept that condition kid. Sounds easy enough."

"I have a name you know. It's Takeshi Fuyushima." Takeshi said, before he held out his hand as well and shook Azazel's hand, sealing the deal. While he shook the hand, Takeshi looked at it.

"My dad always told me not to make a deal with the Devil. I'm wondering if this applies to Fallen Angels as well." Takeshi wondered as he shook Azazel's hand. Azazel simply laughed upon hearing that.

"Oh trust me, we Fallen Angels aren't that sinister in our prices. In actuality, we gave things to the humans instead. Only problem is, they usually tend to abuse it in the wrong way." Azazel told him.

"Ah, the Book of Enoch. If I remember correctly, you taught weapons and cosmetics to the people." Takeshi said with recognition.

"Oh wow, somebody actually read that book? They're barely read that in this day of age besides the Church." Azazel said with an amused smile.

"I'm a really avid reader." Takeshi simply responded.

Things certainly took a turn from here, and it won't stop from there.

* * *

 **(Abilities and Equipment Update)**

 **Abilities #2 -** **Encyclopedic Knowledge - As described in this chapter, Takeshi possess an ability that allows him to easily absorb and understand the information from contact with a book. Not only that, but he could easily memorize word by word, and even the littlest of details on a picture. While it may seem lacking in the offensive department, it does provide Takeshi mental support, furthering his mind and intelligence. Another interesting fact is that unlike most human brains who can only hold so much memories and knowledge, Takeshi's mental limits have none. He doesn't suffer any backlash from holding so much knowledge in his brain.  
**

 **Equipment #1 - Prudent Owl Cane - This particular staff is a keepsake and memory of Takeshi's adoptive father. What makes this staff so special is that it increases casting speed and magical boosts to the user. In Takeshi's hands, the time to cast the spells only cost half a second, effectively making him a quick cast Magician. An interesting story behind it is that the staff is blessed by a divine owl. (I also took this from Log Horizon)  
**

* * *

 **And that's a wrap to the second chapter!**

 **Alright, where to start...?**

 **Basically, Takeshi meets the DxD crew, Kiyome discovered that he is a Magician, and then struck up a deal with Azazel. All in the second chapter. Things certainly don't slow down for Takeshi, huh?**

 **Oh, and another thing.**

 **Takeshi accepted accepted the deal due to an ideal he carries with him, which will be explained next chapter. Hopefully, the third chapter can be finished by then.**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	3. The Tamer

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other elements included.  
**

 **Sorry for the wait, but I was a bit occupied in writing other fanfics. But I focused a lot of my efforts into this as well. So yay.**

 **Start the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Tamer  
**

 **(Home - Bedroom)**

Takeshi narrowed his eyes in concentration as he shuffled through the various papers around him on the floor of his bedroom. He was currently trying to come up with a plan on how to take down four Fallen Angels while taking them alive to Azazel. Clearly, he knew that this is no easy accomplishment for him. And it didn't help that his magic isn't much for offense. But if he planned it right, he can use it correctly to help him in battle.

"Alright...From what Azazel told me, they're all located at the abandoned Church of this town." Takeshi muttered to himself, drawing a circle around the map he is working on. "Their location is known, but I don't know about their numbers. There are four Fallen Angels, but something tells me they are working with more. They couldn't do this all by themselves." Takeshi mused as he scratched his chin.

"If that's the case, then perhaps draw them out and take them down one by one? No, that wouldn't work. They'll most likely work in groups." Takeshi muttered. He then closed his eyes in thought while crossing his arms. "If I remember correctly from war tactics and history books, there is a strategy where one guy is able to take down a squadron thanks his own traps and stealth." Takeshi said to himself, before he noticed the small forest near the Church.

"Ideally, the perfect location is for me to use this area for ambush. But there lies another problem, since they probably know their surroundings while I have to adapt quickly..." Takeshi pointed out to himself. He then sighed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Honestly, this is a situation where I will not win easily." Takeshi muttered to himself. His ears picked up a soft meow, and turned to see his Blair crawling up to him while softly meowing at him. Takeshi gave a sigh as he petted his cat on the head.

"Hey Blair. Looks like your owner is having a bit of trouble on his hands, huh?" Takeshi said while giving a slight chuckle, setting a bit of stress off of him. Blair simply meowed at him, purring as it was being petted.

*Ding Dong*

He heard the doorbell ring in his house, and raised an eyebrow to see that someone is approaching his house. Takeshi stood up and left his room and made his way towards the front door of his house. Grabbing the door knob, he turned it and opened the door to see who it is.

When he opened it, he was greeted with the sight of a female teenager around his age. She had short bright red-orange hair and turquoise green eyes, and a facial expression the seemed to give out the impression that she is a lively girl. She currently wore a short casual one piece pink shirt with a short white jacket that stopped at her waist. She wore blue jeans along with it, and casual heels.

Takeshi simply blinked at the girl, while the girl meanwhile squinted her eyes, as if she is trying to recognize him.

"Let's see..." the girl muttered. "Short black hair, brown eyes, and glasses...you're Takeshi Fuyushima, are you?" the girl asked.

"That would be me, yes." Takeshi confirmed, before he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Can I help you with something?"

The woman in turn gave a sly smirk at him.

"Oh? I was given the order that I was supposed to help you, Takeshi-kun." the girl said with a sly tone. Takeshi paused for a moment, taking in the girl's words, before he blinked in realization on what she just said.

"Wait...are you...?" Takeshi said with realization. The girl smiled at him, as she made her way into his home. Takeshi closed the door, and turned to see the girl sprouting out black wings out of her back.

"You earn a prize! For guessing correctly, you now earn the help and support of a Fallen Angel! Congrats!" the girl said joked while she gave a mock bow. Takeshi simply titled his head at this.

"I didn't expect Azazel to send help so soon..." Takeshi commented as he folded his arms. The girl merely snorted at this.

"Well, Azazel is a man with a lot of free time on his hands, and almost everyone in the Grigori knows this. It shouldn't be a surprise when he just waltzed in and asked me for some mission. I was a bit bored, so I accepted. But I didn't expect myself in a top secret mission that involved helping a Magician against four Fallen Angels. Ah well, this certainly brings excitement." the girl said while waving it off.

"Excitement wouldn't exactly fit the situation I'm currently thinking of." Takeshi said, before he sighed. "Well, at least help is here. I should be thankful for that." Takeshi said, before he held out his hand towards her.

"Well, since we're going to work together temporarily, I suppose introductions are in order. Takeshi Fuyushima, novice Magician who's only proficient in Enchanter Magic. Hope we work well together." Takeshi introduced himself. The girl in turn returned the hand shake.

"Erika Chiba. two winged Fallen Angel and your partner in crime in this little operation. Hope you can keep up. Oh, and Chiba is just a last name I have when I'm in the human world." the girl, now known as Erika, said as she shook his hand.

* * *

 **(Lower Level)**

"*Whistle*...this is one big training hall." Erika whistle in an impressed tone as she looked around the underground floor of his home. "Granted, the Grigori has large training facilities, but you have a big one for an average home in the suburbs." Erika commented.

"Well, my dad knew earth magic, and has utilized it to create this underground floor. So yeah, saves up a lot of money when you can make this sort of thing." Takeshi said while looking through a few maps and graphs on a table.

"I see..." Erika said, before she looked at the graphs with a curious look. "Watcha got there?" Erika asked as she leaned in a bit to see the papers.

"Currently, I'm trying to figure out a way on how to take down the Fallen Angels at the abandoned Church. I've come up with at least 50 possible scenarios on which situations could follow up to." Takeshi said while looking through each paper. Erika blinked when she was told a certain fact about his planning.

"Wait, you thought up of 50 possible scenarios for encountering the Fallen Angels and thereon?" Erika asked in surprise. Takeshi laughed a bit as he scratched the back of his head.

"I know, it's not that impressive. I've yet to create more, and I still haven't thought about the situations further on." Takeshi said while seeing how it is nothing.

"It's noth-It's not nothing!" Erika exclaimed in surprise, making Takeshi blink upon her reaction.

"What do you mean?" Takeshi asked.

"You've actually managed to predict at least 50 possible scenarios, and-" Erika picked up one of the papers and looked through it. "-it all seems plausible! How could you not say it is not impressive!? Better yet, how were you able to in the first place!?" Erika asked him in surprise. Takeshi blinked at her as he simply adjusted his glasses. He looked down with a thoughtful look.

"...During my free time, other then training and studying magic, I like to read books. A lot of books." Takeshi told her.

"So...reading books make you smarter?" Erika asked with a skeptical tone.

"Technically, yes. But I'm considered a special case." Takeshi told her, before he folded his arms behind his back and leaned back in a relaxing position. "As you would imagine, I read many many books. History, politics, science, theory, mathematics, you name it. I've covered a lot of subjects in a fast rate and able to memorize it without any limit. I simply took war tactics and strategies from a few books I read a long time ago and applied it in this situation." Takeshi explained to her, all the while not telling her about his abilities with books.

Erika kept staring at him with incredulity, before she shook her head and gave out a small smirk.

"Well, aren't you that smart one? Should I start calling you the bookworm?" Erika asked with a sly and teasing tone.

"Well, with the rate I'm going with, I might as well be considered one." Takeshi said with an accepting smile. Erika faltered a bit when she heard his response.

"I didn't expect you to accept it so easily..." Erika muttered. Takeshi clasped his hands together while giving his usual carefree smile.

"In any case, now that you are here, this makes things a lot more easier." Takeshi said.

"That is what the job pays me for." Erika responded. "So, now that I'm here, care to let me into your plans?" Erika asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, right. Now that you're here, I can add in more variables." Takeshi said as he drew out a new piece of paper to write on.

This is going to be a long night for him and Erika.

* * *

 **(The Next Day - Kuoh Academy Library)**

"So if you manage to use this formula, and then use this..." Takeshi said while pointing to a few pictures on a book. "And after a simple calculation, you finally reached your answer." Takeshi said to a female classmate next to him.

"Ah! So that's how you figured it out! I can't believe I didn't notice it." the female classmate said with realization, and gave an appreciatve look towards Takeshi. "Thank you Fuyushima-san! I wouldn't have solved it without you!"

"Ah, it's not problem. Happy to help." Takeshi said with his carefree smile. It was then the female classmate looked down to her watch and realized the time.

"Oh, perfect timing! I better get going now or else I'd miss meeting up with my friends." the female classmate said as she quickly cleaned up stuff. She then hurriedly left.

"Take care!" Takeshi said his goodbye to his classmate, and gave a content sigh as she looked back to his own stuff. "That makes the 12th classmate that asked me to help them today..." Takeshi quietly said to himself.

Let it be known that while Takeshi isn't that famous and popular in Kuoh Academy, he did manage to make an identity. Asides from his infamous reputation of almost being late to school almost every time, which students just see it as a quirk of his, he also has another reputation.

Due to him having the power to easily understand and memorize the contents of a book he comes into contact with, it's only natural that he exceeds well in his classes. In fact, his ranking within the school board always rivals Sona. Time to time, their rankings and testing scores always go against each other for the #1 spot. Sometimes, Sona is #1 in the rankings. Then other times, he gets #1. It's a cycle the goes on between the two. Takeshi, however, doesn't seem to take this mind and just goes with it in stride.

And because of his rivaling rankings with Sona, some of the students came to him for academic help, to which he happily accepted their requests and helped them with their problems. And due to his carefree and friendly personality, it makes him approachable by many students. He also gained a small reputation within the library, a place where he sometimes spends at by reading the books there (even if it isn't necessary). His status managed to earn the admiration and affections of those bookworm girls in the library.

As stated before, his reputation isn't that big. It only gave him an identity in school. Even if he knew, he wouldn't really care or mind.

With that in mind, Takeshi begun packing up his stuff and planned on leaving the school and back to his home where he can plan strategies with Erika. As he left the library and walked alone through school grounds, his ear picked up some rustling. Turning his head, he blinked a bit in surprise when he saw Issei leaning a tree while shuddering about something.

Being concerned about his fellow classmate, Takeshi approached Issei from behind and merely tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me-" Takeshi said to get his attention.

"NO MIL-TAN! I DON'T WANT TO...!" Issei shouted with a horrified tone as he sharply turned to see who it was. "...O-Oh. It's only you." Issei said with relief while wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

"Urm, you okay?" Takeshi said, a bit lost and unsure what made Issei react so jumpy like that. However, whoever this Mil-tan is clearly horrified Issei.

"You could say that..." Issei said while his eyebrow was twitching.

"Well, alright then. Just wanted to check on you if you were alright after what happened that night." Takeshi said, making Issei blink in confusion on what he said.

"What do you mean?" Issei asked. Takeshi raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you remember? I saw you...wait, you weren't aware I was there that night when the Fallen Angel attacked you." Takeshi said as he remembered the event, with Issei mostly lying on the floor dying from impalement.

Issei's eyes widened in shock as he heard him say that. "Wait, you saw what happened to me that night!?" Issei asked in shock.

"I sure did. It didn't help that the Fallen Angel tried to kill me afterwards." Takeshi said while scratching his cheek.

"Wait, you managed to survive her attack!?" Issei exclaimed in surprise.

"With pure luck and time on my side." Takeshi admitted.

"H-How!?" Issei asked in shock.

"Oh, didn't Gremory-senpai tell you? I'm a Magician." Takeshi told Issei, making the perverted teenager look confused.

"W-Wait, you mean like one of those people who pull bunnies out of those hats?" Issei asked with a confused tone.

"I wish..." Takeshi slightly pouted. Pulling a bunny out of a hat is one of the most simplest tricks to all the Magicians. He has trouble pulling it off with even a doll bunny. He then shook his head.

"No no, think of me more like a...sorcerer of sorts. Like I can cast fireballs and all that other types, even though I can't really do that." Takeshi explained to Issei, making the brunette go "ah" and nod at him.

"O-Oh. I guess that's what a Magician is..." Issei said while he looked like he was trying to take in the information that was given to him.

"Pretty much."

It was then two voices were made.

"Yo, Issei!"

"Issei!"

Takeshi and Issei turned their heads towards the source of the voices, and found both Matsuda and Motohama walking towards them while waving their arms towards them. As soon as they approached the two, the two members of the Perverted Trio looked sharply at him.

"Oh, and this is...?" Motohama said while adjusting his glasses.

"A new member for our group?" Matsuda said with an interested tone.

Takeshi offered an apologetic grin towards them. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn down your offer. I'd rather not have the female population beat me up like what they do to you guys." Takeshi said while politely declining their offer.

"Pah! Mere words from a cowardly man who doesn't embrace his side!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Motohama said while nodding, before he squinted his eyes when he noticed something. "Wait a moment, I recognize you." Motohama said with realization entering his tone.

"You do?" Takeshi asked curiously.

"Yeah. Aren't you that guy that always comes to school late?" Motohama asked.

"Almost late." Takeshi corrected him.

"Yeah, whatever. But there is one crucial detail about you..." Motohama quietly said while gaining this somewhat serious look to him.

"Yeah, and I recently remembered as well..." Matsuda said.

Takeshi simply blinked at their strange actions as he patiently watched them do something. It was then the two pointed at him in some dramatic fashion.

[You're the guy who is close to the captain of the tennis team!] both shouted with an accusing tone. However, Takeshi didn't really take in their strange and dramatic fashion as he simply went along with it. Instead, he just noticed what they said.

"Oh, you mean Kiyome-chan?" Takeshi gave a small smile of recognition while wanting to confirm with the two.

"Daaaaaaaamn iiiiiiit! Someone like you has such a close relationship with the hottest chicks asides from the Two Ladies of Kuoh Academy! Hooooow!?" Matsuda shouted with envy.

"Yeah! How is someone like you be so close to her while calling her that affectionate honorfic!" Motohama exclaimed in jealousy.

"It's simple really. We're childhood friends, of course I would call her that!" Takeshi responded with an upbeat manner, not really noticing the offensive statements.

This only served to agitate the two even further, while Issei looked at his two friends with a twitching eyebrow.

"Y-You guys..." Issei said with a strained tone. Even he of all people knew that the two were freaking out over something that isn't that big of an issue, even though he is envious of Takeshi that he has a close relationship with Kiyome.

"Damn it! You're that childhood friend that automatically gets close to the female! But still...!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Yeah! What does she see in you anyways!? All you do is just get good grades!" Motohama followed up.

Before Takeshi could ask what they meant by that, the one-sided argument was soon ended when a voice spoke up.

"Takeshi-kun!" spoke out a voice. Takeshi blinked when he felt his arm being cushioned between two soft mounds. He turned around, only to see Kiyome looking at him with a stern look.

"Why on earth are you interacting with people like them!? For goodness sake, I don't want you to become their level! You're as troublesome enough as it is!" Kiyome scolded him as she begun dragging him away from the Perverted Trio.

"Hey, I have you know that I'm the good kind of troublesome, and I know you like it!" Takeshi retorted, making Kiyome's cheeks go slightly pink in embarrassment.

"D-Don't put words in my mouth! Who said I like that troublesome side of you!" Kiyome asked heatedly. Takeshi noticed her pink blush and merely chuckled.

"Ha ha ha! Aw, you're blushing! It's been a while since I've seen you blush like that. Reminds me of the time when-" Takeshi said while reminiscing about a certain incident in the past, but was soon cut off as he felt a stronger pull on his arm, making him wince upon it.

"Don't you date mention that incident! I'm still try to wash away the shame!" Kiyome exclaimed while red is starting to come onto her face.

"Oh come on! It was rather endearing!"

"It is not!"

It was then the two childhood friends went onto their usual banter, with the two walking away from the Perverted Trio. Their arguments tuned out two members screaming out "lucky bastard" to him.

* * *

 **(Tennis Court)**

After their banter that went on for a short while, it resulted in Kiyome huffing while stomping away from him while Takeshi tried to calm her done. However, it ended with no avail. Eventually, she just told him to wait here in the tennis court while she had to take care of something important. So the young Magician in training found himself standing alone in the tennis court while whistling.

"I wonder what Kiyome-chan wanted me to be here for..." Takeshi quietly said to himself in wonder.

He noticed that the past few days, Kiyome has been a bit quiet and acted strangely. He wondered why his childhood friend was acting a bit strange, but he figured that she may be going through some things that he wouldn't exactly understand. His late father did tell him that understanding woman takes a long time to learn, even with his mental abilities.

His pondering was soon cut off when he loud noises, and turned his head around to see what the source of noise was. However, he couldn't exactly see anyone or anything in sight. However, it soon came to him when he noticed the shadows around him are forming into a different shape. Looking up, his eyes widened when he saw a certain someone in the air, along with some screaming.

"AAAAAHHH!" screamed a panicked voice of a familiar friend, with Kiyome screaming in panic as she was being carried by some sort of gorilla-like monster with snow white fur. The beast landed at the other side of the tennis court while giving out a growl, and it turned to look at him with a aggressive look.

"Kiyome-chan!" Takeshi cried out in alarm as he saw his childhood friend being held hostage by some gorilla monster.

"What is this gorilla!? It just came out of nowhere and picked me up!" Kiyome cried out in panic as she tried to squirm her way out of it, but couldn't due to the immense strength it possesses. It was then the gorilla lets out a large breath of white air, traveling throughout the area and going past Takeshi. Takeshi's whole body shivered upon feeling its cold breath.

"W-What the...!? It's breath is so cold...!" Takeshi said with surprise. The gorilla then lets our a feril growl as it turned around and put its hand on the steel tennis court fence, showing it was going to leave. When Takeshi saw this, he saw that this gorilla was going to run off with his friend.

'It's going to run off with Kiyome-chan! I'm going to have to stop it!' Takeshi thought, before his eyes widened upon realization. 'W-Wait. Then that would mean that I have to use my magic...' Takeshi reminded himself, as he wanted to keep magic a secret.

However, at this point, with some gorilla that could breath a chilling air out of its mouth, along with the fact that it had snow white fur of all things, it something that screamed out of the ordinary. But the most crucial fact of all was the fact that this gorilla was going to take off with his childhood friend.

'I'll cross the bridge later! Right now, it's time to save her!' Takeshi thought while he went into a focused look. Going into no hesitation, be sprung into action. Holding his hand out, he channeled magic. A flash soon appeared before him, and his trusty staff came before him.

It was a good thing he was able utilize Storage Magic to store his staff. However, with his abilities alone, he could only handle it up to a couple items at most, and one item is trouble enough to deal with. Be decided to bring his staff with him wherever he goes now due to the incident with the Fallen Angel, rather than carelessly leave it at home and think everything is going to be safe.

" **Astral Bind!** " Takeshi soon cast magical threads to come out of the ground and wrap themselves around the monster's limbs, halting its movements. The white fur gorilla looked at the threads and tugged on them, but the magical threads didn't budge. Growling, it soon set off to the ground and tried to pull of the threads. Unfortunately for the gorilla, it seems to have done good work.

"T-Takeshi-kun!" Kiyome exclaimed in surprise as she saw what happened before her.

"Hold on Kiyome-chan! Everything is going to be fine! Just stay calm!" Takeshi told her, before he focused on the gorilla before him and narrowed his eyes.

'This gorilla before me isn't normal. It possess snow white fur, something that a gorilla couldn't possess unless its genetic mutation. There is also the fact it breaths out such a chilly breath. Chances are that it could do much more than that. So it possesses strength that could break my bones, and an ice breath that covers its range. Range isn't its issue. It's mind, on the other hand...' Takeshi analyzed, before he raised his staff.

'Right. It's the only chance I got.' Takeshi thought with a focused look. He then watched the gorilla plop Kiyome onto the ground, while Kiyome sat on the ground while looking at the scene with shock on her eyes. The gorilla then used its strength to move towards Takeshi, however, with its movements restricted with **Astral Bind** , its agile movements were cut off.

Seeing the situation in his advantage, Takeshi began to work with what he has got.

 **"Cast On Beat!** " Takeshi reinforced himself with the spell he has, allowing himself to cast spells at a more faster rate. It was then electricity sparked at the end of his staff.

" **Electrical Fuzz!** " Takeshi then shot forth multiple balls of electricity towards the gorilla. The gorilla held up its arms to guard against the attack, allowing multiple small balls of electricity impact with it. It didn't look affected at the slightest as it lowered its arm and just shrugged off the attack. Instead, it looked rather annoyed by the sparks of electricity that just floated around it. Electricity soon sparked at the end of his staff, this time with more energy gathered.

" **Mind Bolt!** " Takeshi shot forth pale phosphorous lightning at his target, the lightning being shot forth. The gorilla raised up its one arm to guard itself one more time, allowing the spell to hit it. As soon as it did, it made a mistake.

When the lightning bolt impacted with the gorilla, it soon gave out a roar as it held its head. And Takeshi knew the reason why.

 **Mind Bolt** is a spell that not only deals physical damage, but also mental damage. It deals both of these, but the only trade off is that its power is relatively weak compared to a regular lightning bolt spell. But with mental damage, it was all that Takeshi needed.

The monster was soon gone into confusion with multiple balls of lightning floating around its head and interfering with its sight, as well as having mental damage to make it gone into further confusion. With its blind confusion, the monster only lets out another breath of chilly air, this time powerful enough to leave chill marks around the area. Seeing this, Takeshi raised a magic barrier in front of him to block the attack. He found himself gritting his teeth when he struggled to shield himself against the icy breath.

When the attack ended, Takeshi soon found the gorilla monster soon violently tugging at the magical threads, this time breathing ice onto it. He noticed that **Astral Bind** is becoming weakened with the monster's strength. Seeing that his only advantage in this battle is going to be broken up soon, Takeshi knew that he had to end this battle quickly.

"One more time!" Takeshi exclaimed as he cast another **Astral Bind** spell, this time having the magical threads focus on its wrists and ankles. The threads soon tightened around it, making the beast restrained. Seeing this, Takeshi soon broke out into a spring towards the gorilla monster.

The beast, not knowing what is going on, simple lets out another icy breath once more. Takeshi soon raised a barrier as he ran, this time putting a lot of power into it. The breath soon impacted, engulfing him and the around him in a white cold mist.

"Takeshi-kun!" Kiyome cried out in alarm.

Silence passed through the area as the gorilla, occupied by the electrical balls and threads, didn't notice that the end of the staff was right in front of it.

" **Astral Hypno.** "

Those simple words determined the outcome of this battle. A soft greenish-white light glowed at the end of the staff, and the beast simply stared right at it point blank. Soon, the gorilla soon fell limp as its movement ceased. The threads around it soon dissipated, allowing the gorilla to collapse on the ground.

Takeshi panted slightly as he looked down at the down beast, with a bit of sweat breaking out of his forehead.

'...It worked.' Takeshi thought to himself, a bit surprised on the outcome of the battle. 'It really worked.'

It seems that his strategy came into fruition.

He knew there was no way that he could beat such a supernatural beast with his level of magic. Sure, his Enchanter magic played greatly to turn the tides in his favor, but it didn't necessarily guarantee him victory.

Instead, he had to focus on beating the beast mentally. So with **Astral** **Bind** keeping it in place, **Electrical Fuzz** blinding its sight as well as delivering damage over time, and **Mind Bolt** giving it mental damage and have the beast easily go into confusion, they were all set up to have Takeshi deliver the finishing blow.

 **Astral Hypno**. It's an Enchanter spell that can put an enemy to sleep. This type of spell is rather strong, as it can easily put many foes to sleep, unless they had strong mental resistance to it. For the beast, it was more than enough. However, the trade off was that it could only put the monster into sleep for a short period of time. But with Takeshi casting the spell point blank, it would increase the time period longer.

More than enough time for him and Kiyome to get to safety, and perhaps get help from Rias and Sona and their Peerages.

Takeshi soon made his way past the beast and made his way towards Kiyome, who simply sat there while looking at the battle with widened eyes. He then knelled down towards her.

"C'mon Kiyome-chan. I don't know how long that sleeping spell will last, but we better get out of here before it wakes up!" Takeshi said while grabbing her shoulders and shook her to get her out of her shocked state.

"Y-You...Y-You're..." Kiyome stuttered with shock, making Takeshi's eyes widened when he realized it too.

He revealed his magic powers right in front of Kiyome. His secret of being a Magician is no longer being kept in the dark.

"Listen Kiyome-chan, I can explain...!" Takeshi said with a slightly panicked and worried tone.

"Y-You're...Y-You're..." Kiyome stuttered once more as she looked down towards the ground and having her hair shadow her eyes.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but please bear with me." Takeshi told her while giving a pleading look towards her.

"Y-You're..." Kiyome repeated.

"I can explain this later, but we need to-" Takeshi said, but he soon heard the most unexpected noise to escape from his childhood friend's mouth.

"...P-Pft...!"

Did he just hear a suppressed laugh coming from her?

"...Eh?"

It was the only response he could give upon hearing this.

He continued to watch in surprise and shock as his busty childhood friend tried to suppress down her giggle, only to fail miserably at it. And soon enough, she soon clamped her mouth from outright laughing. However, despite laughing, she managed to say it out loud.

"Y-You're such a gullible idiot!" Kiyome managed to say, before she went into a mad fit of giggles.

"...Huh!?" Takeshi made a shocked noise.

Now he was definitely lost here.

* * *

 **(Later - Benches)**

Takeshi and Kiyome sat together on the bench, with Takeshi looking absolutely lost at the end while Kiyome sat next to him with a content smile on her face. Takeshi asked if it was alright to sit there with the asleep gorilla nearby, but she reassured him that everything is fine.

"So...do you mind if you explain what is gong on?" Takeshi asked. Kiyome simply sighed as she placed her leg above her other leg.

"Well now, where to begin?" Kiyome said, before she looked at Takeshi. "I suppose I should start that I discovered that you're a Magician already. You can thank Sitri for that."

Takeshi blinked upon her answer.

"Wait, Kaichou told you? But why...?" Takeshi asked while looking puzzled, before his eyes widened in realization upon something. "...You're aware of the supernatural."

"Correct. As expected from that smart mind of yours. It always did help me out with my homework." Kiyome complimented while nodding in content.

"I see..." Takeshi quietly said while taking this all in. Kiyome noticed this and gave him a small smirk.

"That's the exact same reaction I had when I discovered that you're a Magician. Honestly, it's surprising when you discover that your closest friend has special powers." Kiyome commented, making Takeshi turn to her with a curious look.

"Then what are you Kiyome-chan?" Takeshi asked.

His friend in turn simply gave a proud smile.

"I am a Beast Tamer." Kiyome answered.

"A Beast Tamer..." Takeshi quietly said, before he snapped his fingers. "Wait, you mean...as in a Beast Tamer, where you tame supernatural monsters?" Takeshi asked. Kiyome simply nodded at him.

"Yes. I am a member of the monster tamer household with a long history behind us. Naturally, I was born with the gift of taming monsters and having them serve me." Kiyome said with a proud tone.

"I see..." Takeshi quietly said while processing this newfound information, before he turned to her with a questioning look. "Wait, if you're a Monster Tamer, then why did this gorilla-"

"It's called a Yuki-onna." Kiyome corrected him, making Takeshi blink upon what he heard.

"Wait, the Yuki-onna? You mean those beautiful snow yokai that live in the snowy mountains and kill whoever comes into their domain?" Takeshi asked as he wanted to confirm it.

"You're mostly correct. However, the true appereance of a Yuki-onna is actually the gorilla you fought. It is true that they appear as young woman, but only when they are at a young stage. Once they mature, they change into an beast-like appearance." Kiyome explained to him as she gestured to the now known Yuki-onna before them.

Takeshi turned to the Yuki-onna, who was still sound asleep, with an owlish look. After blinking a few times, his body slumped. "...Huh. That sure breaks a lot of common views about them as beautiful snow woman." Takeshi commented.

"You're taking this a lot well than others do." Kiyome commented with a raised eyebrow. He simply shrugged.

"Well, I see Yuki-onna as dangerous monsters to begin with. They do pretty horrible things to the travelers in the mountains. Why on earth would I be attracted to a yokai that wants to kill people? At the very least, seeing this Yuki-Onna in this form actually relieves me. I don't have to worry about getting seduced." Takeshi said while chuckling at the thought, which also made Kiyome laugh at the thought at as well.

However, it was then Takeshi realized something as he turned to his childhood friend with a puzzled look.

"Wait, hold on then. There is something that I'm missing here. If you're a monster tamer, then why did the Yuki-Onna attack you? Did you fail in trying to tame it?" Takeshi asked, making Kiyome huff indigently at him as if he insulted her pride.

"Hmph. You underestimate my skills in taming monsters Takeshi-kun." Kiyome said as she folded her arms, unknowingly letting her bust rise because of it. She then sighed as she gave off a look of understanding. "Well, I suppose you deserve an explanation."

She then looked him straight in the eye.

"Well, I was originally going to reveal myself to you normally as a Beast Tamer normally. I was going to call you here and reveal one of my monsters to you and introduce myself as a Beast Tamer." Kiyome explained, making Takeshi blink at this.

"Really?" Takeshi asked with a perplexed tone. Kiyome nodded at him.

"However, I've decided to change a few things. First being is that although you have been keeping a secret of being a Magician, which is acceptable since we didn't know each other truly, you always kept on keeping me in the dark and get me worried for nothing. Every time I ask you, you always give vague answers. It always leads me to think you're doing uncivilized activities." Kiyome explained as she held up one finger.

"Can't argue there." Takeshi admitted.

"Second, you sometimes keep yourself distant away from me some times. I figured that you were busy in your studies of being a Magician, but it is no excuse to give effort in spending more time with me." Kiyome pointed out while holding up a second finger. This made Takeshi flinch.

"I-I'm sorry. I probably wasn't a good friend because of that." Takeshi apologized.

"You are forgiven. Besides, I too was busy with my Beast Tamer training, so you aren't the only one to blame in this." Kiyome said with understanding.

"Right, the whole family business thing." Takeshi said while scratching the back of his head, before he gave her a curious look. "Wait, what do any of these reasons have to do with-"

"I was about to finish." Kiyome cut him off, this time tone sounding serous, before she gave a serious look towards Takeshi. "There is the third and final reason for this. You see Takeshi-kun, I pretended to to be held captive by my Yuki-Onna and trick you into thinking I'm in danger is for one important reason." Kiyome said.

"A-And what would that be?" Takeshi asked, getting a bit off put by the serious air from her.

It was then she gave out a full blown glare.

"It is the fact that you keep holding that shameful incident over me for years!" Kiyome exclaimed while her face was going a bit red because of the anger within her.

"H-Huh!?" Takeshi looked surprised upon her final reasoning while backing a bit away from her.

"You heard me! For so many years, you've kept on teasing me relentless about about that incident and I can't stand it!" Kiyome told him heatedly. "At the very least, I considered this payback for you holding it over my head!"

"To be honest, that incident was quite memorable between the two of us." Takeshi blurted out.

"Silence!" Kiyome told him heatedly. "See what I mean!? You may find it funny, but I find it quite shameful!" Kiyome exclaimed, before she huffed and folded her arms.

"It may sound immature of me, but this is the least I could to if I wanted payback from you." Kiyome told him, making Takeshi frown at her.

"I'm sorry Kiyome-chan. I didn't realize that incident and my teasings were that unbearable to you." Takeshi apologized once more, before he shook his head. "But not only that, but please don't do something like that Kiyome-chan. You had me worried sick about you when I thought the Yuki-Onna attack you." Takeshi told her with concern.

Kiyome's cheeks went pink a bit when she heard his last sentence, before she shook her head and sighed.

"I suppose my prank has gone a bit too far. But promise me that you won't keep teasing me over that incident any more." Kiyome told him.

"I promise." Takeshi said while raising up his hand in a lazy manner.

"Good. Now then, since we now who we are now, we're going to have to be more honest with each other, alright? No more hiding your Magician Powers, just as I will not hide me being a Beast Tamer." Kiyome told him.

"Sounds about fair." Takeshi said with a nod.

"If that's the case..." Kiyome said, before she looked at him with a questioning look. "Now, tell me what is going on."

"I'm sorry?" Takeshi said, perplexed by her sudden demand. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sitri has told me what happened that night. About a Fallen Angel trying to kill you." Kiyome told him, making Takeshi realize what she meant.

"Oh right, that event." Takeshi said as he adjusted his glasses. "Well, there nothing more to it. She tried to kill me and I defended myself. I managed to escape without a scratch with pure luck and time on my side." Takeshi answered.

"That may be so, but there is something going on." Kiyome told him, making Takeshi look at her with a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Takeshi asked.

"Do not play dumb here Takeshi-kun, I know you pretty well. Whenever something serious comes to mind or your conflicted about something, you're always in this pondering state. I saw you do it in class, during lunch time, and even when you're walking on your own. You always look like you're in deep thought about something." Kiyome told him with a knowing tone.

'D-Do I really do that?' Takeshi thought to himself while surprised by his friend's keen sight on his behavior. "W-Well, I wouldn't make it such a big deal..." Takeshi said nervously, forcing himself to smile like its nothing.

All Kiyome did was give him a deadpanned look.

Seeing that she didn't buy his weak excuse, he could only laugh weakly and nervously, before he caved into her stern state. So he hesitantly told her what happened to him over the past few days, and eventually reached the point where he struck a deal with the Governor of the Grigori himself.

When he told her that particular part of his story, the results were rather expected.

"What?! You made a deal with Governor of the Grigori himself!?" Kiyome shouted in shock.

"Sh! Sh! Sh! Not so loud Kiyome-chan!" Takeshi said while trying to shush her. He then held up his hands in a placating manner. "Look, let us calm down and-"

"You've made a deal with the leader of the Grigori! I'm not going to be calm about this at all!" Kiyome protested. "Fallen Angels are known to be aggressive and manipulative towards humanity, yet you choose to strike a deal with them anyways! What on earth are you thinking!?" Kiyome told him angrily.

"W-Well, Azazel was the one who taught humanity how to make weapons and jewelry rather than harming them. And Azazel did fall out of heaven due to lust. So I don't exactly think he is the type to lie..." Takeshi answered with his smile faltering.

"But you made a deal with him to stop the four Fallen Angels doing who knows what in this town. Stopping four Fallen Angels and then bringing them back alive. And seeing your skills, I'm sorry Takeshi-kun, but you stand no chance against them! I even had my Yuki-onna hold back when it fought against you!" Kiyome told him with a stern glare and tone.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Azazel sent me assistance, so I'm not doing it alone." Takeshi brought up a good part that he has, hoping that it would lessen the anger she has on him.

Unfortunately, her disapproving look said otherwise.

"Honestly Takeshi-kun...That kindness of yours will get you the best of you." Kiyome said while shacking her head, and soon gave him a concerned look.

"Look, Takeshi-kun, why did you even accept this in the first place? This kind of situation is way over your head. Why not just leave to those Devils?" Kiyome asked. Hearing that question, he grew a resolute look on his face.

"It's because I can't sleep well, knowing that the Fallen Angels will hurt innocents in the area. Just like what they did to Issei." Takeshi said with a focused tone.

"If Fallen Angels continue to harm everyone, then it won't make them happy. Family and friends might lose their loved ones because of them. I know it might be childish to say that, but I remember what my dad taught me." Takeshi said, getting a surprised look on his face.

"You exist for two things. To make others happy, and make yourself happy with the life you have. My dad fulfilled his role of taking me in as his son and taught me the art of magic, and he was happy to fulfill such a parental role. Now it's my turn to take on that role. When I manage to fulfill in seeing others happy, I'm happy in return." Takeshi told his childhood friend.

Kiyome just gave an incredulous stare at his response, before he sighed and shook her head.

"I would honestly say that this ideal of yours sounds so childish..." Kiyome commented.

"I know." Takeshi admitted with a smile.

"But...it's honestly noble and admirable." Kiyome admitted. "Takeshi-kun, I understand your want to keep others happy, but you shouldn't push yourself to this extreme. At this rate, you're going to get yourself killed." Kiyome warned him.

"I know." Takeshi admitted. "Don't worry Kiyome-chan. I'm well aware of my ideals. I won't do anything too reckless that won't end up hurting me. I prefer it that way. But I can't stand aside and let this happen" Takeshi told her with a a reassuring tone.

Upon hearing his answer, Kiyome lets out a soft defeated sigh, as if she knew that type of answer that is going to beat her.

"I knew you were going to say that. If it's one thing I know about you Takeshi-kun, is that once you set your mind onto something, you'll never stop." Kiyome said with a knowing tone. It was then she gave him a concerned look.

"Look Takeshi-kun. Whatever you're doing is something you could stop at any time. But if you continue to do so...please, do not get yourself hurt over this. Alright?" Kiyome told him.

"Can't hold any promises there Kiyome-chan, but I'll try." Takeshi replied with a carefree smile. The drilled haired girl merely sighed upon his answer.

"I suppose that is the best I can get out of you."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap to this chapter!**

 **In all honesty, I found myself liking this story more and more as I continued to write this. I easily made myself an interesting plot, and I think I'm going to invest a lot of time in trying to write this compared to my other fics.**

* * *

 **(Erika Chiba)**

 **The person I picked to help Takeshi is Erika Chiba, known from one of the lesser known anime series/Light Novel to date, "The Irregular in Magic High School".**

 **Here is what I usually like about choosing anime/manga/game characters and putting them into the story. I've noticed that whenever a DxD fanfic author inserts a character into the story, it is usually mainstream and popular characters. Examples include Mirajane and Erza from Fairy Tail & characters from Sekirei.  
**

 **I usually like to break out of this usual trend and try to make it look unique. So I look deep and hard to find the characters I'm looking for. Eventually, I found a few. I chose Erika because...why not? I honestly like her personality and her looks.  
**

* * *

 **(Takeshi's Ideal)**

 **Alright, I know a lot of you are seeing the similarities between Takeshi's ideals and the ideals shown in Fate/Stay Night, and yes, I can acknowledge that.**

 **However, my late grand uncle held that ideal and has told me this directly:**

 **"You exist to make others happy, and become content with the life you choose to live with."  
**

 **So taking inspiration from his ideal, I've decided to mold it as Takeshi's ideal in memory of my late grand uncle.**

 **Plus, Shirou Emiya's ideal is to become a "hero of justice" and "save everyone". Takeshi simply wants to make everyone happy, and become happy with the life he is going with. He isn't trying to aim to become a hero of justice or save everyone. He just wants the people around him to be happy. That's simply it.  
**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	4. The Interferer

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other elements.  
**

 **Thanks for the rather positive reviews towards me putting Erika into the story. I was a bit hesitant at first, but seeing how you guys reacted sure made my feel better. Thanks a lot.**

 **Well, let's start this chapter! And have a happy Easter everyone!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Interferer  
**

 **(Basement)**

Takeshi groaned as he lied on the floor, a bit disoriented on what just happened. Not to mention an unpleasant feeling he had on his body. Forcing himself to sit up, he shook his head while adjusting his glasses. As he did, his ears picked up a voice.

"Azazel was right when he said your abilities are novice at best. But I'm honestly surprised by your use of Enchanter magic. Not that many magicians can make use out of it in offensive form." Erika commented while twirling around some metal baton.

"Y-Yeah, I'm different from most. Unfortunately, being different doesn't bring me an advantage in battle." Takeshi admitted as he stood up and shook his head. "I mean, I could barely even scratch you with my magic alone." Takeshi said while looking at Erika's body condition. His clothes were rumpled and dirtied, while Erika looks like she never went through any sort of work.

"Maybe so, but I will tell you this though since you gave me a good warm up. Compared to my previous opponents, which were Fallen Angels by the way, you honestly lasted longer than most others." Erika told him with a sly smile.

"Hearing that sure gives a boost to my self-esteem." Takehsi said with a joking voice as he patted off the dusts off of him. "Well, that's why I'm relieved that you're here. It changes the favors in our odds if we fight right." Takeshi said.

"What, you're going to make me do all the heavy lifting? You lazy jerk..." Erika said with mock distraught.

Takeshi simply just chuckled at her joking manner. Even though he and Erika are working together for a short period of time, he does know how her personality works. For one, she always has this habit of teasing and mocks in a friendly and good way. And another odd thing about her is that even though she is a Fallen Angel, her rather optimistic personality does contrast.

It honestly made him wonder why she is a Fallen Angel in the first place. But it wasn't place to ask such a personal question.

"You know it isn't like that. You're style if offensive while I'm the supporter. And I fit well into the role of being a supporter." Takeshi responded.

"That maybe so. But still, making a woman do all the heavy work. You're not acting like a gentleman at all." Erika joked once more.

"Well excuse me that I'm human and you're a Fallen Angel. Things just work out differently between us." Takeshi retorted with a friendly tone, before he made his way past her and towards a desk in the corner of the room. Bringing out a fresh sheet of paper, he began to write at a fast pace.

"Based on the speed of the swing and reaction time, it should help that...mmm...yes...that could work." Takeshi muttered to himself as he busily began drawing on the sheet of paper.

The whole purpose that he and Erika sparred in the training floor is that Takeshi wanted to get to know Erika's combat abilities, while in turn Erika will to to know Takeshi's abilities as an Enchanter. That way, he could incorporate her abilities into the strategies that he is formulating. So far, he's been making progress in doing so.

While it might be overwhelming for an average human being to have to memorize so many scenarios to be played out, Takeshi's mind is above the rest. With his ability to easily memorize books, which also extends to a single page itself, Takeshi can easily picture out each and every scenario that he can possibly be facing.

Strategies are the deciding factors in battles. History and legends proven this multiple times.

"Back to planning again, huh? I swear, you have a knack for this thing. You sure you didn't go through combat for a long period of time?" Erika asked as she folded her arms.

"Well, I only have two real battles under my belt plus formal training under my late father, so that's all I have." Takeshi said while eyeing the papers with an analytical look.

"Hard to believe when you're literally churning out strategies on possible encounters and battles." Erika commented.

"I guess I'm just different from others." Takeshi muttered, too focused on writing things down.

Erika just sighed. "Well, as long as you know a guaranteed path to victory, I suppose I shouldn't complain. I'm gonna help myself to a drink." Erika said as she walked towards the door of the basement.

"Go ahead. You deserve it after helping me." Takeshi said with a easygoing tone, all the while keeping his eyes glued on the table. His commented and tone made Erika smile in amusement at him.

"I swear, you're too nice for your own good."

"That's what I am." Takeshi admitted. Before Erika could leave, Takeshi then remembered something.

"Wait, Erika-san." Takeshi called out to her, making the red haired Fallen Angel stop from leaving. She gave him a raised eyebrow upon his sudden call.

"What?" Erika asked.

"I've just realized something now. I know that Fallen Angels are capable of using holy energy and use it as spears and other types of weapons. But I've never noticed you actually form one. Instead, you bring out that particular baton. I'm kind of curious to know why you use that weapon." Takeshi commented.

It was indeed true. His late father, being the avid researcher he is in magic, has managed to delve into some knowledge about Fallen Angel magic. According to his research, all of the Fallen Angels have a source of holy energy to tap into and use it to form their weapons.

But for Erika, she barely even uses her holy energy to form weapons. Rather, it is channeled to a steel baton that she carries with her. And this steel baton that she has easily creates a lot of force to his magic barriers upon impact, much to his surprise. So its either that the steel baton the she has stored up power and releases upon impact, or she has impressive physical strength.

"Oh, this nifty weapon?" Erika said as she twirled it around. She then gave a small smile as she looked at Takeshi.

"Well...how should I start? Well, just like you, I am born with rather inadequate abilities." Erika stated, making Takeshi blink at her.

"Inadequate?" Takeshi repeated with a slightly confused tone. Erika nodded at him.

"Unlike most Fallen Angels, I have a rather difficult time manifesting my powers into a spear for that matter. Even when I formed one, the spears I made could only last for a few seconds before breaking apart." Erika told him, making Takeshi blink in surprise when he realized what Erika meant by saying she is just like him.

They're both born with limitations.

"However, that doesn't mean I'm weak. I merely had to choose different options to get stronger." Erika said, before she looked at her baton. "So I've crafted myself this baton. Made from the best metal I could find and purified with holy energy, essentially making it holy metal." Erika explained.

"I never knew it was made of holy energy..." Takeshi quietly commented. Erika gave a slight smirk.

"But that's not all. Besides holy energy, I also focused on other types of magic as well. I use two conceptual magics to help me." Erika explained to him, making Takeshi's eyes brighten with interest and intrigue upon the subject of magic.

"Oh, and what would that be?" Takehsi asked with interest. Erika smirk grew a bit bigger as she saw Takeshi's attention growing more onto her.

"Well, since you've asked. The first is Fortification magic. Fortification magic is-" Erika attempted to explain, but Takeshi spoke up.

"It is a type of reinforcement magic that reinforces the position of one physical object in relation to another. It's a magic that is easily ignored by Magicians these days." Takeshi suddenly spoke up upon hearing the name, making Erika blink upon his interruption.

"...Well, yeah, I guess you took the words right out of my mouth." Erika said, still a bit baffled upon his swift response. Takeshi then pounded his fist onto his palm.

"Ah, that explains why your baton has such an impact with my magic barriers. No wonder." Takeshi said with realization.

"Yeah. Though, I usually need to store up my magic, so I usually just do a burst of it when I'm about to strike." Erika told him.

"Amazing. I never knew you such a gifted fighter in close quarters combat." Takeshi said with amazement, making Erika stifle a laugh upon hearing this.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, you know?" Erika told him with an amused smile.

"No, I mean it. It's really amazing on how you're able to utilize such a basic magic and turn it into your own strength." Takeshi told her with genuine admiration. Erika paused upon hearing and seeing this, before she shook her head with a smile.

"I said it before, you're just too nice for your own good. Well, I suppose it's better than being a complete asshole." Erika commented with a rather vulgar comparison.

"Language." Takeshi softly chided her. Erika simply shrugged.

"I'm a Fallen Angel. What else would you expect from me?" Erika retorted. "Besides, practice what you preach. You've made Enchanter Magic into a possible offensive Magic style when you're fighting on your own. You should at least feel somewhat proud that you've made it that far." Erika told him. Takeshi just grew a bashful look.

"You think so? I honestly didn't think it was that good..." Takeshi said with a slight bashful tone. Erika simply chuckled at him.

"I'm sure. You also need to man up if we're going against something serious here, so I need you in top shape." Erika told him. Takeshi nodded at her.

"Right. Oh yeah, you mentioned about a second type of magic. What would that be?" Takeshi asked. Erika simply smirked at him as she grabbed the door handle.

"That's something I'll tell you later. Right now, I need a drink after all this talking." Erika told him as she left the room. Takeshi simply sighed as she left.

"Well, I suppose it's understandable. Now then..." Takeshi muttered to himself as he focused back on his planning. But he allowed one thought to enter his mind.

"...Choose different options to get stronger, huh? Sounds rather interesting..."

* * *

 **(The Next Day - Afternoon)**

After school, he decided that he needed the proper attire if he is going to pull off this operation against the Fallen Angels. So he went to a proper clothing store and got himself dark clothing so he could get some camouflage in the dark. It was simple, since all he had to do is get himself a black hoodie and black cargo pants.

"Alright, I think that's done." Takeshi said to himself as he walked out of a clothing store, looking into the bag of clothing he has. He nodded to himself in satisfaction as he walked down the street.

"Alright. Proper attire for operation against the Fallen Angels is taken care of. Now all I have to do is prepare for the appropriate time when to execute it." Takeshi said to himself.

Seeing that he is done for today's errands, he decided to quickly get home so he can plan more things with Erika. And with the park being a shortcut to his house, he decided that now is the time to cross. It wasn't the time when couples would come, so he is safe.

Plus, what are the chances that he is going to run into Fallen Angels at this time? Sun is still out, so he is good to go. Takeshi whistled to himself as he walked along the way, content that things will go calm for the day.

Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned.

Because upon walking a few steps into park, he felt an unpleasant sensation ran through his body once more. His eyes widened once more upon knowing this feeling. He immedeatly looked to the sky, and noticed that the air is distorted around him. Remembering what happened last night, he knew what was going on.

"...Oh no." Takeshi muttered in alarm, noticing the distorted air around him. He cautiously looked around him, and found no Fallen Angel around. Seeing that he cannot see the Fallen Angel somewhere, Takeshi decided to get into cover by hiding in the trees. As he did, he summoned his staff and prepared himself for a fight that he would probably have a tough time trying to survive.

But a moment passed and nothing absolutely happened. Noticing this, Takeshi slowly looks out to see if there was any presence, but there was none. Seeing this, he decided to move around to see if he could know what is going on in this area. It might seem risky, but it every detail counts. So he slowly made his way through the trees as he looked around the area.

'...Why are they acting up now of all time and places...?' Takeshi thought to himself, a bit unsettled that Fallen Angels are acting up. It made no sense, as Fallen Angels prefer to operate at night time while keeping their presence a secret in public. Acting like this practically screams suspicion.

He was soon had his questions and suspicions answered, as his eyes widened a bit when he watched a particular scene before him.

It was the same Fallen Angel he encountered that night, as well as seeing Issei there. Similar to last time he saw Issei that night, it appeared that he was impaled though the stomach once more. But unlike last time, there was a new person to the scene.

It appeared to be some foreign girl with long blonde hair, and appeared to be wearing some nun outfit. She was currently standing near Issei while putting her hand on his stomach, emitting a soft green light. Takeshi noticed that the green light was healing his injuries at a remarkable pace.

It was then he heard the Fallen Angel speak up.

"Asia. If you don't want that Devil to be killed, come with me. Your Sacred Gear is essential for our plan. Your power, the Twilight Healing, is a rare Sacred Gear unlike the Sacred Gear of the Devil over there. If you don't come with me, I will have to kill that Devil." the Fallen Angel said while giving a cruel order.

This seems to have made Issei give a defiant look.

"S-Shut up! I can defeat you—"

"Yes, I understand."

Takeshi's and Issei's eyes widened in shock as they saw the immediate response of the girl.

"Asia!" Issei cried out in shock.

"Ise-san. Thank you for today. It was really fun." Asia said with a big smile, as she finished healing the wounds on his stomach. She then walked towards Raynare.

"Good girl, Asia. That's it. Problem solved. With today's ritual, you will be freed from your suffering." the Fallen Angel said while letting out a pleased smile. Takeshi narrowed his eyes as he picked up a certain words in her sentence.

'Today's ritual...?' Takeshi thought, before he decided to watch more.

As much as he would like to help, he knew his capabilities of both him and Issei. His magic will merely hinder the Fallen Angel, but not outright defeat her. Issei, on the other hand, is just a newborn Devil, literally learning about his new powers. Not to mention, he doesn't even know what Issei does. So in the end, he has to begrudgingly stay quiet while watching, hoping to learn more from the Fallen angel.

"Asia! Wait! We're friends, aren't we!?" Issei shouted out to her.

"Yes. Thank you for being friends with someone like me." Asia said with gratitude.

"I-I have to protect Asia!" Issei called out to her, making the blond girl turn towards him while still smiling.

"Goodbye." Asia said her farewells, as she was then covered by the Fallen Angel's black wings.

"Low-class Devil, looks like you were saved because of this girl. If you get in my way again, I will definitely kill you. Goodbye, Ise-kun." The Fallen Angel said with a sneer as she flew up high while holding onto Asia. It was then they disappeared into the sky with a flash of light, leaving only Issei and Takeshi behind.

As the two disappeared, Issei weakly laughed as he got onto his knees and started to punch the ground, and lets out a frustrated cry.

"Asiaaaaaaaaaaa!" Issei cried out to the sky.

Takeshi looked at the scene with a guilty look, feeling horrible that he didn't do anything to help in this situation. He clenched his fist and tightly closed his eyes.

'You exist to make others happy...and here I am, just watching someone suffer before me.' Takeshi thought to himself while looking troubled upon this. '...If only I could've been stronger...' Takeshi thought to himself in disappointment, but he soon shook his head upon realizing something.

'...No...no, that's not it at all. It didn't matter if I was strong or weak...' Takeshi told himself as he realized something. Something he should've done the moment he saw the two were in trouble.

'...I just didn't act soon enough to do something about it. All I did was just stand there...' Takeshi told himself, realizing the mistake he made.

He could've intervened and managed to stall the Fallen Angel, having both Issei and Asia escape. But that would mean him fighting a one-sided battle with the Fallen Angel again, and possibly get himself killed. He didn't want to risk death. Because if he were to die, then he would be leaving behind Kiyome and carrying on his father's legacy. It sounded selfish, but he cared for other people as well.

But then he realized the possible road ahead if he did intervene. If he were to interfere, then there might be a wrench in the plans, causing a bit of disorder to go around and probably have the Fallen Angels act up to search for Asia. This will probably lead to more innocents being dragged into this, as well as having the Devils be assaulted by the Fallen Angels because Issei took her away from them.

So in the end, his hands were tied and has to choose between two options, both of which are not great. The first is to silently watch as the Fallen Angel takes away a friend of Issei and begin some form of ritual, and at the same time, gain information that the Fallen Angels are acting up now and using that girl for her Sacred Gear. Seeing this, it indicated that time was up for him and he needed to act now. The second interfere, leading to some disorder and chaos among the Fallen Angels running the operation, leading to a possible risks of innocents and Devils getting involved, leading to further havoc around Kuoh.

In the end, Takeshi unknowingly chose the first route, where the consequences are less fatal to him and those around him. In a way, it was the right choice, but it didn't make Takeshi feel better or like this option one bit.

Seeing how he acted in this situation, he decided there was only one thing to do.

Takeshi soon stood up and began to make his way out of the park with only one thing in mind now. Bringing out his phone, he soon pressed who to call. After few short moments later, a familiar voice picked up on his phone.

"Hello?"

As soon as he heard her voice, Takeshi said the words that he should've said earlier.

"...Erika-san. It's time to move." Takeshi simply told her, and then began to sprint as he made his way towards the location he planned.

'...Just you wait you two. I'll be sure to make sure the two of you are going to get your happy endings.' Takeshi thought to himself with resolution.

* * *

 **(Night Time - Abandoned Church)  
**

Both Takeshi and Erika were hidden within the trees near the Church. They were out of sight range for the lookout of the Church thanks to Takeshi's predictions and analysis on the view points of the abandoned church.

Takeshi was now wearing a dark hoodie with black cargo pants, while Erika a black short sleeved jacket with green highlights and wore what she called a combat skirt, which came in black.

"So the four are acting up now, huh?" Erika commented as she hid behind a tree. Takeshi nodded at her.

"Yeah. I've heard it from the black haired Fallen Angel saying something about needing her Sacred Gear for something." Takeshi told her. Erika narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Wait...needing her Sacred Gear..." Erika muttered, before her eyes slightly widened in realization. "...No. She didn't..." Erika said with realization. When Takeshi noticed this, he became troubled as well.

"What is it?" Takehsi asked, making the red haired girl turn to him with a serious look.

"If you want to save that girl, then you need to act fast. Otherwise, she will die tonight." Erika warned, making Takeshi looked alarmed because of this.

"...Oh crap..." Takeshi muttered in alarm, before he looked at the abandoned church one more time. He narrowed his eyes, and nodded to himself.

He needed to act now.

"Alright. First step of the plain is to take out any outside guards. We'll have to do it quietly if we want to get through this in stealth." Takeshi told her, making Erika raise an eyebrow at that.

"And how are we going to pull off the stealth part in our supposed plan?" Erika asked. She couldn't memorize all the strategies that Takeshi thought up of, so she is letting Takeshi take the lead from here.

Takeshi raised his staff and decided to use his a spell in this scenario.

" **Astral Chaff**." Takeshi called out as the tip of his staff softly glowed with a silver light. Soon, silver mist soon appeared and began to wrap itself around him and Erika. Erika looked around herself as the silver mist wrapped around her body.

"So...how will this help?" Erika asked curiously.

"This spell will cut off our presence. While it won't make us invisible, it will make us harder to detect. And don't worry about the silver mist. It can only be seen by us, and not the opposing force." Takeshi explained to her, making Erika slightly smirk.

"Now this is where you truly put your Enchanter magic in its place." Erika told him, making Takeshi blink at her.

"I suppose so..." Takeshi quietly agreed, before he shook his head. "Never mind that. We'll start in the back area of the Church, the area where they highly expect intruders. The possibility of running into a Fallen Angel is about 75%." Takeshi told her.

"Yeah yeah, leave all the calculations to yourself. We all can't be computers like you." Erika dryly commented. Takeshi offered a small apologetic smile before he turned to the Church.

Deciding to move, he and Erika moves to the back of the Church where there were multiple trees, perfect for cover. As he and Erika did, they slowly moved from tree to tree, Takeshi carefully looked around to see if there are any presences around.

Soon enough, he soon spotted what they were looking for.

Sitting in a bored manner in the trees was some girl in a gothic lolita outfit. She had blonde hair that is tied into twin tails.

'There's one Fallen Angel...are the others inside?' Takeshi wondered to himself, before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see it was Erika, silently pointing to a direction upwards. Takeshi looked up as well, and then noticed another Fallen Angel.

This time, it was a Fallen Angel in some trench coat and fedora hat while standing on top of a tree. He was currently just looking around to see if there was anybody around.

'That makes two...so where's the third and fourth?' Takeshi wondered to himself, before he narrowed his eyes. 'The third and fourth could possibly be inside, probably tending to the ritual. 50% chances are that a Fallen Angel is guarding inside the Church while the other is tending to some ritual. 25% chances are that the two Fallen Angels are working together on it. The other 25% is that there are three out here and the other is working inside.' Takeshi summarized, before he narrowed his eyes.

'We have two Fallen Angels here. It's best to take them out here and now while we still have the chance.' Takeshi decided.

He then turned to Erika, and signaled her to take down the male Fallen Angel on the trees while he will occupy the the gothic lolita Fallen Angel on the branch.

'I will give a signal when to start.' Takeshi mouthed out to her, which she understood and nodded at him. His Fallen Angel companion silently made her way towards the male Fallen Angel, while Takeshi made his way towards the gothic lolita Fallen Angel. When he made his way to a good distance between him and her, he raised his staff.

Silently, he casted **Astral Hypno,** allowing a soft green light to glow at the end of his staff. The spell he came into effect as the Fallen Angel before him began to doze off into sleep.

His soft green glow served as a signal to Erika, as she immedeatly sprung forward and approached the fedora wearing Fallen Angel behind. Noticing her presence at the last possible moment, the last thing the Fallen Angel saw was her swinging her baton straight at his head. The blow from her baton effectively knocked him out, sending him falling towards the ground.

With Takeshi, he soon had the gothic lolita Fallen Angel fell forward as she fell asleep, falling towards the ground as well. Her body soon impacted with the ground, with her head landing first. This caused the Fallen Angel to yelp in pain upon feeling the sudden and unexpected pain that she had. Hissing as she groggily sat on her knees, she opened her eyes to see what just happened, only to be greeted with the sight of a red haired girl.

"Go to sleep." Erika simply stated, as she proceeded to swing her baton and, like before, knock out her fellow Fallen Angel with a hard swing to the head. The blonde Fallen Angel slumped to the floor unconscious, and Takeshi came out of his hiding spot while looking at the blonde Fallen Angel.

"Two targets are down. Two more to go."

"Well that was easier than I thought. And here I thought it was going to be a hassle." Erika said with a smile on her face as she twirled around her baton.

"We shouldn't let our guard down. There might be more in this area." Takeshi told her.

"Oh, right. I wonder if they're-"

"Look out!" Takeshi soon raised a a magic barrier to block in incoming attack. The incoming attack took the form of a spear and impacted with the shield, and both energies shattered apart upon impact.

Erika turned and found a figure in the sky while holding a Spear of Light in her hand. When Takeshi took a good look at her, he noticed that the figure had Fallen Angel wings as well. The Fallen Angel had long blue hair and a tight dress that seems to have emphasized her curves.

'So another one is out here. Seems like the lower probability won this one...' Takeshi thought, before he pushed up his glasses. 'So taking down two Fallen Angels here and another one showing up just as we took them down. So it appears that the fourth one is tending to the ritual within the Church. If this is the case that we're in...'

He then narrowed his eyes as he now saw the foreseen path ahead of them.

"...Erika-san...Scenario #26." Takeshi simply stated. Erika's smirk grew a bit when she heard him.

"Hoh? Even though I didn't memorize all of them, that's certainly one I'd remember." Erika said with a knowing tone.

"Then follow my lead." Takeshi told her.

"That's what I was intending from the start."

The Fallen Angel before them descended herself lower, and narrowed her eyes when she took a good look at them, and eyes honed in on Erika herself.

"...Don't I know you from somewhere?" the Fallen Angel questioned. Takeshi noticed that the Fallen Angel's eye sight is on Erika. He noticed that Erika didn't have her Fallen Angel wings out, so the Fallen Angel didn't know about her identity. Quietly, Takeshi lowered his other hand and began working with his magic, allowing Erika to occupy the Fallen Angel.

"Who knows? Now are you just going to just stay up there and throw your spears like a typical Fallen Angel does?" Erika taunted. The blue haired woman simply lets an annoyed look appear on her face.

"You hold your tongue when you speak to me girl." The Fallen Angel replied, before she gave a good look at her, and her eyes widened a bit upon recognition.

"Oh, I recognize you now! You're that pathetic excuse of a Fallen Angel who fails in bringing out her powers!" the Fallen Angel exclaimed, making Erika simply frown upon hearing this.

"Oh here we go again..." Erika said with an unamused tone, making Takeshi look at her with widened eyes.

'She dealt with this before?' Takeshi thought surprised. It was then the bluentte Fallen Angel looked at her with a uninterested look.

"The symbol of us Fallen Angels is our holy power that's been blessed by God himself! Even if we do rebel against him, we are thankful for his mistake for granting us this power! You fail to bring out such power! Therefore, you do not deserve to be even considered a Fallen Angel!" the Fallen Angel told her with a cold tone.

On the other hand, Erika gave the bored look towards her Fallen Angel bretheren.

"Geez, you're like what, the 20th Fallen Angel to say something like that to me. If I'm so pathetic, then how come I'm able to best most of you in combat? Because I'm pretty confident myself that you're just going to be a part of my winning streak!" Erika said with a challenging smile and tone as she pointed her baton at the bluentte. She slightly turned her head towards Takeshi and nodded, as he nodded in return.

"I'll put you in your place!" the bluentte exclaimed as she raised her spear, ready to throw once again. Just as she was about to, Takeshi sprung into action.

'Now!' Takeshi casted his spell. " **Astral Bind!** "

Magical threads soon sprung from the sides and back of the Fallen Angel, much to her surprise. It took some time for Takeshi to coordinate where the magical threads are going to be placed and spring into action. Their short conversation has managed to score him time. So now, the magical threads soon wrapped around her ankles and right wrist, which also holds the Spear of Light.

Erika soon sprung into action as she dashed forward, closing the distance between her and the opponent. Seeing that Erika is charging in on her, the blue haired Fallen Angel raised her other arm to form another spear. Seeing this, Takeshi decided now is the appropriate time to use his supporting spell.

" **Reflex Boost!** " Takesh's staff soon glowed with a yellow glow, and a yellow aura soon surrounded Erika. Seeing this, Erika simply kept charging forward while a concentrated look appeared on her face. The blue haired Fallen Angel threw her spear, and it closed in on Erika.

Little did she know what the spell did for Erika.

Her eyes widened greatly as Erika simply tilted her head to the side, allowing the Spear of Light to pass through her while just a few inches away.

As the name implies, **Reflex Boost** is an Enchanter spell that increases the reflex rate of the target's body. This Enchanter spell was rather waved off or ignored by many Magicians, as it stands that Magicians barely use martial arts or weapon based combat, and focus on casting spells instead. But in this particular case, this is where it truly shines.

With a simple dodge and charging straight ahead, Erika soon closed the distance between them. The blue haired Fallen Angel's eyes widened as she tried to get away, but **Astral Bind** did its magic, both figuratively and literally, in keeping her in place.

"Impossible...!"

"Who's weak now!?"

One hard swing and the applied Fortification magic was all it took to effectively knock out the blue haired Fallen Angel as she took the impact to the head. Takeshi soon disabled the **Astral Bind** as he watched the defeated Fallen Angel fall to the ground, leaving Erika victorious. The red haired Fallen Angel landed on the ground, and twirled her baton once more.

"No matter how many times this happens, it always satisfying to show them who's boss." Erika said with a content tone, before turning to Takeshi. "Well, you just made the battle a lot easier and shorter than I usually fight. Honestly, Enchanters are so underrated these days." Erika said, before she noticed the sympathizing look she received from Takeshi, which caught her a bit off guard.

"What?"

"Erika-san...you had to endure that kind of treatment within the Grigori..." Takeshi stated with a commiserating tone. When Erika realized this, she simply gave a dismissive look.

"Oh don't give me that look. I don't like it when I'm receiving pity from others." Erika told him, but Takeshi continued to do so.

"But it isn't right, having others look down on you just because your abilities aren't compared to theirs." Takeshi told her. Erika simply shrugged at this.

"That's the Grigori for you. Similar to the Devils, our pride controls us sometimes. It is to the point where power matters, and the weak are simply looked down upon. Can't be helped that others look down on me just because I can't form a simple spear. At the same time, it's satisfying breaking their prides when I beat them silly." Erika said while showing a small fond smile towards a few memories.

But Takeshi gave her a look of disagreement.

"But it's not fair at all! Nobody should be looked down upon just because you're different from them. You don't deserve that kind of treatment. Just because you're different doesn't mean you should suffer such segregation! To me, you're special and unique among all Fallen Angels!" Takeshi told her with an insistent look on his face.

He felt so related to her, knowing that both he and her share a similar problem of being a late bloomer and slow progress. But Erika suffered consequences upon being ostracized by her Fallen Angels, while suffered none. But he believed that if he were with some Magicians association, he bets that he would be looked down upon because of his abilities alone.

Erika lets a surprised look upon hearing Takeshi's words that she fell silent for a short bit. It was then a small content smirk appeared on her face.

"You know...you're honestly the first person to ever say that to me. And I gotta say...it feels kind of nice for a change other than the usual insults I hear." Erika told him, making Takeshi give a small grin at her.

"Glad I'm the first one to tell you that." Takeshi told her. Erika sighed as she shook her head.

"Alright, enough with the mushy moment. We've got two more Fallen Angels to take in, right?" Erika told him as she jabbed her thumb towards the Church. Takeshi chuckled a bit but soon shook his head.

"Y-You're right. We better get moving." Takeshi said and soon grew a focused look. "The ritual might've started, so we have to move!"

The Enchanter and Fallen Angel soon made their way to the Church.

* * *

 **(Church)**

Both Takeshi and Erika made their way into the back entrance of the Church. They've snuck in with Takeshi's **Astral Chaff** once more, being able to blend into the settings more easily. As they snuck their way, they've noticed that nobody was around on floor they're on. As the quietly sneaked around, they soon found themselves at the side entrance to the sanctuary. As they did, Takeshi peaked his head and soon saw a figure simply waiting behind a destroyed pillar.

He appeared to be a young foreign man with short white hair and red eyes while wearing a priest outfit. When Erika noticed him, she narrowed her eyes and mouthed out "Stray Exorcist" to him, to which he nodded. Erika informed him that Stray Exorcists are usually hired or work with the Fallen Angel faction, so it's no surprise that there is a Stray Exorcist in this situation.

'The only guard in this room...that either means he is either just a lookout and hold off any low level intruders, or he is above the rest and has abilities that make him dangerous. That's a 75% chance right there, and 100% guarantee that we should not underestimate any opponent here.' Takeshi thought, before he nodded. 'Right, first move will score us an advantage.

He then signaled Erika the start of the plan, and Erika simply nodded at him. Seeing the signal, Takeshi was the first to start. He soon casted **Cast On Beat** onto himself, and then formed a magic circle in front of him.

" **Pulse Bullet!** "

Takeshi soon fired magic bullets at a machine gun rate, blasting right through the door and right towards their target. Their target's eye widened when he screamed in pain as he was assaulted by a barrage of bullets.

"What the fuck!?" the man cried out as he tried to shield himself from the bullets by pulling out some sword that had light come out of it, and soon rolled his way out of it. He looked up, only to see an incoming red head running towards him while holding some sort of baton. She swung down her baton, making the Stray Exorcist raise his sword to block, but barely and weakly as he was pushed back upon impact.

"Shit! Who the hell are you!?" the Stray Exorcist cried out as he pulled out his pistol and fired a few rounds. However, they were soon stopped by a magic barrier. His eyes widened, before Erika proceeded to charge in and engage him in close combat. Meanwhile, Takeshi was currently taking cover behind the pews, all the while supporting Erika with his magic barriers and other supporting spells.

' **Reflex Boost** is still in play so Erika has support on her side. I've noticed the gun in one of his jackets, so setting up barriers for her should help. Though, they're weak if I cast it from this distance.' Takeshi thought, before focusing on the fight.

The Stray Exorcist scowled as he found himself being fought into a pressuring battle as Erika kept up with him in her swordsmanship skills, which is another skill that she practiced on. She is rather skilled, being able to parry off the incoming blades and fighting back with precision and strong strikes.

"Shit shit shit! Who the hell are you!? You shitty girl! Don't you know who you're dealing with!? I am the great Freed-sama!" the young man exclaimed angrily.

"You're someone who should put soap in his mouth." Erika retorted, before she began thrusting her baton towards him, making him step back further. He soon jumped back and pulled out his gun with his other hand.

"Die!" the Stray Exorcist was about to shoot, before soon caught a flash at his side. Glancing, he found Takeshi standing up while holding out his staff.

" **Electrical Fuzz!** " Takeshi shot forward multiple balls of electricity towards him. Seeing the incoming balls, Freed was forced to point his gun the other direction and had to shoot the incoming balls, which also had Takeshi in front of it. When Takeshi noticed this, his eyes widened.

"Oh crap!" Takeshi saw what Freed was going to do as he raised a magic barrier in front of him for protection. Freed soon fired his rounds, making the bullets make their ways towards the spark balls. A few met with the spark balls, destroying a few of them in the process, and had to roll away as a couple got past the bullets. Dodging this, he cocked his gun at Takeshi.

"You shitty Devil lover! Die!" Freed exclaimed as he begun firing his gun at Takeshi, to which Takeshi just took cover from his magic barrier. Freed then noticed Erika swiftly coming in and raising her blade. Forced to focus on her, he now found himself being pressed by the Fallen Angel, and the two soon clashed their blades against each other.

"What the hell is your shitty stick!? I can't cut through them!" Freed yelled as he attempted to push further. Erika simply smirked.

"Well let's just sat this is quality metal, unlike that little glowstick you have." Erika retorted with a smirk, before it grew even further. "Takeshi!"

"Got ya! **Keen Edge**!" Takeshi's staff soon glowed with white energy, and Erika's baton soon glowed as well. Erika then pushed in further, and Freed's eyes widened when he found his sword cracking under pressure.

"What the hell is this! Shit!" Freed pointed his pistol towards Erika, but Takeshi covered up once more.

" **Astral Bind!** " Takeshi soon made one thread come from the ground and wrapped around Freed's wrist, forcing him to miss the shot. Erika seeing that chance she got, pushed with all she's got, resulting in breaking the blade Freed had. Her baton soon made its way towards Freed's body, resulting in having the blunt object cause a slash across his chest, due to the boost of **Keen Edge** and her Fortification magic.

 **Keen Edge** is an Enchanter Spell that boosts the power of a weapon. Once again, it is highly underused by Magicians as many do not use swords. But once again, this underused spell helps Takeshi in this situation.

Freed soon fell back to the floor while clutching onto his chest in pain, and glared at Erika. "Fuck you you shitty girl! Don't fuck with me! I refuse to lose to people like you!"

Freed then pulled out some sort of object before throwing it onto the ground, creating a large flash. Both Takeshi and Erika were forced to cover their eyes, before lowering their arms as the flash died down. They soon saw Freed not around, and they lowered their battle stances.

"He ran away..." Takehsi muttered while looking around.

"Cheh, good for nothing coward." Erika looked a bit annoyed that Freed managed to escape. Takeshi sighed in relief while clutching onto his chest.

"Phew...I honestly didn't think I'd have a gun being pointed at me." Takeshi commented, making Erika smile in amusement at him.

"You're fine with Spear of Light being thrown at you, yet a gun scares you?" Erika teased.

"Guns are more scary than spears." Takeshi admitted while scratching the back of his head. Erika simply shook her head with a smile.

"Honestly..." Erika said, before she turned to the alter in the Church. "If I remember correctly, some Church have underground passages for certain holy rituals. So if we go through here..." Erika said as she made her way towards the wooden podium, before kicking it out of the way. With the podium out of the way, it soon revealed a set of stair case leading to a lower level.

"Well now, I suppose we should..." Erika said as she was about to make her way towards the stairs, before she stopped and turned her head towards the entrance. Takeshi, noticing her stopping, looked a bit unsettled by her sudden stop.

"Erika-san, what is-"

"Move!" Erika pushed him into the side entrance and forced him into a hiding position. "Use your **Astral Chaff**!"

Hearing her say this, Takeshi just did what she said and formed a silver mist to wrap around them. Just as he casted it, he soon noticed loud footsteps being made towards the Church. They broke through the Church's front entrance, revealing three people Takeshi recognized.

"Alright, we've made it in no problem!" Issei exclaimed while looking around.

"Seems like it. Though...I don't see anybody around." Yuuto commented while raising up his sword just in case there is an ambush.

"...Empty." Koneko quietly commented.

The three Devils looked around the room, while both Takeshi and Erika stayed quiet as they watched the Devils look around the room in caution.

'So what is what she meant by hiding...she heard them coming...good thing to, otherwise it would make things complicated...' Takeshi thought with relief, before he quietly watched Issei and the other walk through the Church.

"...I don't think anybody is here." Yuuto stated, before he spotted the stair case in the floor. "Hey, there's a stair case here."

"Yeah, you're right!" Issei said as he walked towards the stair case.

"...I think they're underneath us..." Koneko said.

"There is only one way to find out! Let's go! I'm coming for you Asia!" Issei said as he made his way down the stairs, with both Yuuto and Koneko following. Once they've gone down the stairs, Takeshi lets out a breath.

"...So they're here." Takeshi said.

"Yeah, seems like the Devils decided to act." Erika commented, before she looked at Takehsi.

"So...what now?" Erika asked, seeing the situation they're in now that the Devils are involved. Hearing that question, Takeshi puts up his glasses.

"For now? We better lay low. We can't have the others see you, otherwise it'll cause some complications. For now, I want you to be with the other three Fallen Angels that we've taken out in the back. It could be possible that other Devils are checking out the surroundings as well. I'll just stay in cover and just watch how the situation will go through." Takeshi told her.

"You sure you can be okay without me?" Erika asked.

"Don't worry about me. You should worry about the three we've taken out." Takeshi told her. Erika gave a slight frown for a moment, before she nodded at him.

"...Alright. Don't do anything reckless."

"Funny. That's what Kiyome-chan told me." Takeshi commented with a small smile, before he stood up and made his way downstairs. Erika could only sigh as she stood up as well and made her way towards her fellow Fallen Angels.

* * *

 **(Lower Floor)**

Takeshi quietly made his way down the stairs, carefully trying to make himself hidden as possible. After going down a some steps and, he arrived at a large door before him, which seems to be opened. Taking a peek inside, Takeshi soon saw what was going on.

The blond girl known as Asia was tied to some sort of cross-like device, the Fallen Angel was standing nearby her tending to the ritual, and Issei and his fellow Peerage members were occupied with a group of Stray Exorcists.

The Fallen Angel simply sneered at the Devils while she gave a glance at Asia.

"It's a touching reunion, but I won't let you interfere. There is no way you filthy Devils won't be able to stop the ritual." Raynare stated with a victorious tone, making Takeshi's eyes widened upon the statement.

'The ritual is almost finished...!' Takeshi thought with an alarmed tone.

Soon, the Stray Exorcists soon made their way towards the Devils, while Issei and the others tensed up for a fight. Seeing this situation occur, Takeshi had to act fast.

'A large distance between me and Asia-san. The Fallen Angel nearby to make sure nothing happens. A bunch of Stray Exorcists blocking the way, and three Devils that are able to fight.' Takeshi analyzed, before he tensed his body up, knowing what he must do. '...Alright. Let's hope this spell that I've been working on for a while works!'

Deciding to act now, Takeshi ran out to the open while charging up the spell. The end of his staff soon had a semi-transparent sphere formed at the end of it, and Takeshi swung his staff to launch the ball.

" **Nightmare Sphere!** " Takeshi launched his sphere towards the group of exorcists that were luckily altogether. The semi-transparent sphere made it way to the Stray Exorcists, much to their surprise. Once the sphere got near them, it soon exploded and expanded rapidly into a spherical field, engulfing the Stray Exorcists. The Stray Exorcists didn't look harmed in the slightest, but they soon began to kneel as they felt a heavy force on them.

"What the...!?"

"M-My body...!"

"It feels so heavy!"

 **Nightmare Sphere**. It's a rather strong Enchanter spell that Takeshi recently practiced on, due to him wanting to expand his spell list. This spell doesn't deal damage, but rather, it causes a hindrance to the enemy. An enemy that Takeshi judges will immedeatly become slowed down within the sphere field, and allies that he knows will not become affected by it. It is quite strong, so this particular spell drained a good portion of his magic reserves.

And while the spell is quite impressive, the **Nightmare Sphere** is not up to its prime. The one he casted was merely a small portion. A better Magician who casted this can engulf a larger area around the size of a large field compared to a room filled with Exorcists. And the movement reduction effect is certainly greater than the one he has.

But for Takeshi, seeing that the Stray Exorcists have taken off guard, he took what counts.

Naturally, his interference in the battle caused the others in the room to look at him in surprise and shock upon his actions.

"Fuyushima!?" Issei shouted in surprise.

"You!" Raynare shouted in complete outrage.

Takeshi didn't bother responding as he created a magic circle in front of him.

" **Pulse Bullet!** " Takeshi soon fired a machine gun of magic bullets towards Raynare, forcing her to move out of the way as she went into the air.

"You damn human! You dare-!?" Raynare screeched in absolute rage.

" **Astral Bind!** " Takeshi's reliable and handy spell soon casted magical threads to rise out of the ground and wrap around Raynare's wrist and ankles.

"Not this damn spell again!" Raynare shouted in anger.

Seeing that she is tied up and out of the way, Takeshi turned to the others with a focused look on his face.

"Go! I don't know how long my spells will keep these guys occupied! Hyoudou, now's your chance!" Takeshi told the group, especially Issei.

Issei, who stood there a bit dumbfounded by his sudden appearance and assistance, soon broke out of his stupor and shook his head to focus.

"R-Right! I don't know why you're here, but thanks!" Issei exclaimed as he ran past the Stray Exorcists and made his way towards the Asia. Meanwhile, Yuuto and Koneko soon prepared themselves to attack the Stray Exorcists, but looked careful upon seeing the **Nightmare Sphere,** being careful on not wanting to receive its effects.

"No! Damn you Magician! I will make you regret going against me! A Fallen Angel of the Grigori!" Raynare screeched, all the while trying to break the magical threads with all of her strength.

"It's alright you two! **Nightmare Sphere** only effects my intended targets! This spell does not recognize you as an enemy!" Takeshi told both the Knight and the Rook. Both Peerage members of Gremory gave a look at him, before they nodded.

"Ha ha, that's reassuring to know. Thanks for you unexpected help Takeshi-kun!" Yuuto said with his princely smile as he went in the circle to strike down the Stray Exorcists.

"...Thanks." Koneko simply replied as she went in to take on the Stray Exorcists.

Seeing that the two are going to strike down the Stray Exorcists, Takeshi soon focused on other things. He then saw Issei yank off the chains that held up Asia, letting her free from the ritual.

"NO!" Raynare shrieked in complete outrage.

"...I-Ise-san..." Asia weakly replied.

"Asia, I came to take you back!" Issei said as he picked up Asia in bridal style.

"...Yes." she gave a weak response, and it sounded very tired.

Issei then proceeded to take Asia away from the cross device and made his way down the stairs. As he managed to make it to the others, Yuuto looked at him with a serious look.

"Hyoudou-kun! While we may have the advantage, we could soon enter a disadvantage while we are protecting that girl! So go upstairs at once! Now, hurry!" Yuuto called out as he took down a Stray Exorcist.

"But what about you guys!?" Issei exclaimed in worry.

"Don't worry about us! We can handle it from here!" Yuuto said as he swung his sword to take down another Stray Exorcist.

"...Please go quickly." Koneko merely told him.

Seeing this, Issei just gritted his teeth and nodded, making his way past them. He soon saw Takeshi near the entrance while gesturing him to move.

"C'mon Hyoudou! I'll cover your back if things get hairy!" Takeshi called out to him. Issei gave Takeshi a grateful and short nod as he made his way past him. Just as he did, he decided to leave one final line.

"Kiba! Koneko-chan! When I get back, call me "Ise"! Definitely! We are comrades!" Issei shouted out to them as he left the room.

Seeing that they managed to save Asia on time, Takeshi gave a glance back at the two fighting off the Exorcists, before he nodded and followed after Issei.

* * *

 **(Sanctuary)**

The two soon made their way up stairs and managed to make it back to the Church's Sanctuary. As they did, Issei soon lied Asia down on a pew while giving her a worried look.

"Just wait a bit! You will be free soon, Asia! You will be able to play with me from now on!" Issei told her with a forced reassuring tone, making Asia make a small smile towards his words. She proceeded to hold on of his hands.

"…I was happy that…I had a friend…even for a short while…" Asia managed to say in a tired tone.

"…If I were to be born again, will you become my friend once more…?" Asia asked quietly, before she closed her eyes, making Issei even further distressed.

"W-What are you saying!? Don't say that! Let's go somewhere to have fun! I will drag you even though you don't want to! We will go to karaoke! Game centre! Let's also go bowling! Also other places! Also to that place! And there!" Issei said while tears are leaking from his eyes, while Takeshi looked troubled upon seeing the situation, seeing that he might've failed in saving her.

It was then Issei turned to him.

"Hey! Aren't you a Magician!? Use your healing magic or whatever kind of White Mage cure you use to save her!" Issei shouted out in distress towards Takeshi.

Seeing this, Takeshi merely kneeled down to Asia while grabbing onto her wrist, deciding to first check her pulse. His medical knowledge sure came in handy when he absorbed the knowledge from the basic medical book and basic emergency treatment. Closely measuring her pulse, noticed the rate that is was going. Seeing this, Takeshi gave a small relieved breath as he took his fingers off of her wrist. He then turned to Issei with a small smile.

"...She's alright. Her pulse is normal. She's merely fatigued from this entire thing." Takeshi told Issei with a reassuring tone, making Issei looked at him with shock.

"R-Really!? What kind of spell did you use!?" Issei asked while a relieved look is appearing on his face.

"Truth is, I can barely pull off healing magic." Takeshi admitted with a small sheepish look.

"E-Eh!? Then she was...!"

Takeshi gave a short nod from him. "We were able to save her in time. It was close, but we've managed to make it." Takeshi told him.

Seeing this, Issei made a large relieved grin as he gently embraced Asia, glad to see she was able to make it through this. Meanwhile, Takeshi softly smiled, seeing how he managed to make the two get the happiness that they deserve.

"I believe there is something that you stole which properly belongs to me." spoke a familiar voice.

Both Takeshi and Issei turned their heads, and found Raynare standing there with an absolute pissed expression. Both male teens stood up, getting ready for a fight.

"It was all thanks to you damn Devils and Magician that the ritual was ruined, meaning I have to do it another time once more. But first, I will kill you so hard that you would wish that I would've given you a swift and merciless death!" Raynare snarled, all the while forming two Spears of Light in her hand. Seeing this, Takeshi is flickered rapidly to each of the following figures.

'Asia-san is unconcious, the fourth Fallen Angel is before us, and Issei and I are about to fight her. I barely know his capabilities or what he can do, but that if that gauntlet tells me anything, it's possible he's a melee fighter.' Takeshi thought, before he narrowed his eyes in focus.

"Die!" Raynare threw both of her spears at the two, while Takeshi formed a magical barrier once more, this time putting all the magic he has into it seeing that there are two spears incoming.

Luckily, both the spears and his shield broke upon impact, but it left a huge drain on his magic reserve now.

"Hyoudou, I need you to follow my lead, alright?" Takeshi told Issei as he picked up Asia and puts her in a piggy back position.

"Right!" Issei said, before he looked at his Sacred Gear. "C'mon! Give me another boost!"

 **{Boost!}**

A flash of green light appeared on the gauntlet, which Takeshi took note of.

"I'm almost out of magic. All I can do now is make sure Asia-san is not in the crossfire. The least I could do is provide support for a short time. Think you can handle that?" Takeshi asked.

"It's the best I can get!" Issei said while glaring at Raynare. "I won't forgive you! I won't forgive you for making Asia cry! I won't forgive you for making her suffer and force her to go through your sick fantasy! I'll make you pay!"

 **{Dragon Booster!}**

Soon, Takeshi soon saw Issei's gauntlet transform with a bright light. Some mysterious mark appears on the gauntlet, while at the same time, it extended and became even bigger.

Meanwhile, Raynare merely sneered at him.

"I will explain it so even a dummy like you can understand. It's a simple power difference. I have a power of 1000. You have a power of 1. You can't shorten the gap between us no matter what. Even with the ability of that Sacred Gear, the power doubled is only 2. It's futile! How can you win against me!? Ahahahahahahaha!" Raynare laughed, not noticing Takeshi holding his staff out to the both of them.

"Yeah? But what if he were given a boost and you were given a hindrance?" Takeshi stated, before he decided it was all or nothing.

" **Thorn Bind Hostage!** "

The spell that Takeshi casted forth soon summoned forth shining azure thorns to coil around the target, ensnaring Raynare into the vines, making her look annoyed by this.

"Again with you tying me down!? You must be so arrogant to think you'd tie down a Fallen Angel like me, who belongs in the sky!" Raynare shouted with annoyance as she tried to get the magical thorns off of her.

But Takeshi wasn't done yet.

" **Force Step! Reflex Boost!** **Overrunner!** "

A mix of red, yellow, and white glow soon appeared at the end of his staff, resulting in Issei glow with the three colors mixed. Takeshi breathed a bit heavily, seeing how much he pushed his body to use every ounce of magic that he has got.

'The rest is up to you...' Takeshi thought, seeing this is all he could do with his Enchanter spells.

 **Force Step** is an Enchanter spell where for a short moment, the "recharge" or "cooldown" of his allies is accelerated, while at the same time increasing their attack power by a short amount.

 **Reflex Boost** is already explained, but it will help Issei react better towards her attacks.

 **Overrunner** is a spell that will increase the movement of his allies. In this case, it will help Issei move faster.

As for **Thorn Bind Hostage**...

Issei gave out a battle cry as he charged towards Raynare while raising his gauntlet up.

 **{Boost!}**

"It doesn't matter if a lowly Devil like you gets a few pathetic boosts from a lowly Magician and your pathetic Sacred Gear! You cannot defeat me!" Raynare exclaimed as she raised her spear and threw it.

Issei managed to dodge to the side thanks to the **Reflex** **Boost** and speed that he received from **Overrunner**. He continued to charge in and raise his fist to hit her. Even with the thorns coiled around her, she was still able to move, so she merely moved to the side like she was dancing around his move.

This merely caused Issei to miss her and instead, impact with the thorns instead, breaking it upon contact. As Issei managed to do it, Takeshi quietly nodded to himself as he knew what was about to result from breaking those thorns.

Raynare merely sneered at Issei as she avoided his attack, thinking she won this fight in the long run. But her smirk soon faded when she noticed a glow underneath her.

"What...!?"

It was then an explosion of energy exploded onto her, making her scream out in pain upon receiving the damage. This made Issei's eyes widen in shock, while Takeshi had time to push up his glasses.

 **Thorn Bind Hostage**. Quite possibly the most reliable and strongest spells for Takeshi to damage the enemy. This spell will coil azure magic thorns around the enemy. Once they ensnare the target, it is hard to get rid of the thorns. And when the magical thorns are broken upon contact, they will deliver a large amount of damage to the enemy. However, this spell can only be fulfilled in a certain condition. Takeshi himself cannot break the thorns, but if an ally were to break it, then there would be results. So its impractical for Takeshi to use this spell when fighting someone alone.

But for this case, this is where it would truly shine.

"Issei! Keep on breaking the thorns! It'll damage her!" Takeshi explained to Issei, who looked surprised and confused upon seeing how the magical thorns worked. But he broke out of his stupor as he merely nodded and raised up his gauntlet once more.

 **{Boost!}**

Gaining another boost to the body, Issei soon broke out into a sprint once more, this time moving faster than before. And with the doubling of the support spells onto him, this only made Issei grow even stronger.

And with Raynare staggering from the sudden damage, Issei took his chance as he closed in on her.

"You damn Devil! Stay-!" Raynare attempted to form another spear and throw another one at him, but he merely dodged to the side once more. He proceeded to punch the second azure thorn, resulting in another magical explosion to occur onto Raynare.

"AAAAHHHH!"

"This is for Asia!"

He broke the third vine.

"This is for Buchou!"

He broke the fourth vine.

"This is for everyone that supported me up until now!"

He broke the last fifth vine.

"And this...!"

 **{Explosion!}**

A large burst of energy exploded out of Issei, making Takeshi step back in surprise upon seeing how much power Issei is unleashing.

'A-Amazing...! He got this strong over a short amount of time...!' Takeshi thought in awe.

"N-No!" Raynare shouted in fear and panic for the first time as she attempted to fly away, but Issei closed the distance between him and her and grabbed her arm.

"I won't let you get away, fool."

"I'm superior—!"

"Blow away, you shitty Angel!"

"Damn yoooooooou! Low-class Deeeeeevil!"

"Uoryaaaaaaaa!"

With the final and finishing blow, Issei fists soon made it towards her face, digging it straight in. The blow from Issei soon sent the Fallen Angel flying and crashing through a wall while making a large crash noise. The wall broke and there is a big hole in the wall, and dust starts to spread everywhere.

Issei breathed heavily while the colors around him began to fade.

"Serves you right." Issei said while smiling, before he turned to Takeshi and Asia.

Takeshi, in turn, lets out a small smile and thumbs up to Issei. It was then Issei began to stagger after using so much power and was about to collapse, until Yuuto arrived and caught him.

"Good work. You actually beat a Fallen Angel." Yuuto complimented, making Issei give a weak smile towards the Knight.

"Yo, you are late Casanova."

"Fufufu, Buchou told me not to interfere."

'Buchou?' Takeshi thought, before he noticed footsteps behind him. He then saw Rias Gremory walk into the room while her crimson hair swayed.

"That's right. I believed that you were able to beat the Fallen Angel Raynare." Rias stated as she walked towards Issei.

"Buchou? Where did you come from?"

"From the basement. I finished my business, so I used the magic-circle to come here. It was my first time transporting to a Church, so I was nervous." Rias said while sighing. It was then Takeshi noticed Koneko walking to the hole in the wall, and then realized what she was doing. Noticing this, he silently took out his phone and began typing on it, hidden from everyone's view.

"Looks like you won safely." Rias complimented.

"Buchou… Hahaha, I won somehow."

"Fufufu, excellent. Just what I expected from my servant." Rias happily said as she tapped him on the nose.

"Ara ara. The Church is in a mess. Buchou, is it alright?" Akeno asked with a troubled look on her face. Issei noticed this too and looked a bit anxious.

"…Is something wrong?" Issei asked timidly.

"Church's belong to God or religions related to him, but there are cases like this where it is used by Fallen Angels. In cases like this, if we Devils damage the Church, there will be times when we get targeted by assassins. For revenge and payback." Rias stated, making Issei look at her in shock and alarm.

'Luckily for you guys, Azazel won't be the type to do that.' Takeshi thought, setting down Asia on the pew as he continued to silently type on his phone.

"But it won't happen this time."

"Why is that?"

"This Church was originally an abandoned one. So a certain group of Fallen Angels had come here to use it for their own greed, and we just happened to have a fight in a place like that. So we didn't step foot on the enemies' actual territory to have war. So it's just a small fight between a Devil and a Fallen Angel. This happens every time. That's what happened." Rias stated with a knowing and reassuring tone.

It was then Takeshi finished what he needed to type on the phone and pocketed it away. He then noticed Rias looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I have to say, I am quite surprised to see yourself getting involved as well. I thought you'd rather stay out of this." Rias stated, making Takeshi scratch the back of his head.

"Yeah, that was the original plan. However...I kind of followed Hyoudou on the way here." Takeshi admitted, making Issei look at him with surprise.

"E-Eh!?"

"What do you mean?" Rias questioned, making Takeshi chuckle at her.

"Well, I was originally going to spend some time grocery shopping and return home. But when I decided to use the park as a shortcut, I happened to catch a small scene of the Fallen Angel taking away that blond girl while you looked stressed Hyoudou. I felt kind of guilty not helping you there, so I've decided to come and help out. But it took me a while to decide whether to help or not. I was...kind of scared, you know?" Takeshi said while giving a sheepish look.

"But you still helped Fuyushima! I'm really glad you came!" Issei said with a grateful tone, making Takeshi just wave his hand around.

"No no, I was happy to help. No need for your thanks."

"Well regardless, it seems you've helped my adorable Pawn here save the girl. And thankfully, he managed to leave this conflict unharmed, so I am thankful for you assistance Fuyushima-kun." Rias thanked him.

"R-Really, it was nothing..." Takeshi said while looking a bit bashful.

"Buchou. I've brought it." Koneko spoke up while making the sound of dragging. Takehsi noticed this and saw Koneko dragging Raynare, and proceeded to plop down the Fallen Angel.

"Thank you, Koneko. Now then, let's wake her up. Akeno."

"Yes."

It was then Akeno proceeded to life her hands up and summon a bucket of water from thin air, making Takeshi look at the magic with slight awe on how easy it was doing storage magic. It was then Akeno proceeded to splash the Fallen Angel.

*Splash*

Raynare began coughing violently after the splash, making her wake up and open her eyes slowly, only to see Rias looking down on her.

"How are you doing, Fallen Angel Raynare." Rias said to her, while having a confident air around her.

"…The daughter of the Gremory clan…" Raynare whispered to her.

"Hello, my name is Rias Gremory. I'm the next heir of the House of Gremory. It will be for a short while, but nice to have your acquaintance." Rias said to her with a smile. Raynare just glared at her, and then she sneers.

"…You think you've got me, but too bad. This plan was kept secret from the higher-ups, but there are other Fallen Angels with me. If I get in danger, they will—"

"They won't come to help." Rias said to her, as she broke through her words. "I've looked around the entire area, and found none of them around, even at the most crucial time. I guess they knew this plan was foolish and fled like the cowards they are." Rias simply told her, making Raynare looked at her with disbelief.

"Lies!" Raynare shouted out, enraged as she sat up.

"Oh? Then tell me where are your Fallen Angels right now? They would certainly come in and save you." Rias pointed out, making Raynare look distressed upon this.

"When I met with the Fallen Angel Donaseek who attacked Ise before, I predicted that there were a few Fallen Angels plotting something in this town. I ignored it because I thought it was a plan that involves the whole Fallen Angel. Even I'm not foolish enough to take on all of the Fallen Angels. Then I heard that the Fallen Angels were moving around secretively so I went to talk to them, taking Akeno with me. It was unfortunate that we couldn't find any, but we had to make do with a Stray Exorcist that we've interrogated. He blurted out your plans, saying it was to help the Fallen Angels be promoted to a higher status and in turn destroy the Devils. Low life that move around secretively for their purpose usually brag about their plots." Rias told her while giving a small smirk.

"It was fortunate that your fellow Fallen Angels saw us a threat who approached them. I suppose that they've decided to leave this pathetic plot, making them more smarter than they look." Rias stated.

'It was actually Erika-san and I who took them out, but I'd rather not say it out loud.' Takeshi thought to himself as he carefully kept an eye on the situation. It was then Yuuto spoke up.

"Getting hit by a single shot won't even leave a trace. The princess of the Duke who has the power of destruction. Buchou is a powerful Devil who is called a genius among the group of young Devils after all. Your group must've been very lucky to escape her power." Yuuto said with a smile.

"She is also called the "Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess", you know?" Akeno says it while smiling. Rias then looks at Issei's left arm, which had a red gauntlet.

"…Red Dragon. Until recently there wasn't a mark like this… I see, so that's what it is…" Rias muttered under her breath, while looking a bit shocked.

"I found out the main reason why Ise was able to beat a Fallen Angel." Rias said quietly, and then turned to Raynare.

"Fallen Angel Raynare. This boy, Hyoudou Issei's Sacred Gear isn't a regular Sacred Gear. That's why you lost." Rias said to her. Raynare had a confused expression etched upon her.

"...Boosted Gear, a Sacred Gear that is said to be the rarest of the rare. The Red Dragon mark on the gauntlet is the evidence. Even you have heard of that name before, right?" Rias asked, and Raynare puts on a shocked expression. Takeshi blinked a bit, before his eyes widened a bit.

He knew the existence of Sacred Gears, and researched a bit into it. He even found out that there is a classification of top tier Sacred Gears, and he looked at Issei's gauntlet in surprise.

"B-Boosted Gear… One of the Longinus … Even though it's for a temporarily time, it's said that it has the power to surpass Maous and God… Are you telling me that hateful power is possessed in a boy like this!?" Raynade shouted out.

"If it's just like the legend is told, then the ability of the Boosted Gear can double the power of the possessor every 10 second. Even if his power starts from 1, it doubles his power every 10 seconds, and it can reach the power of the leader-class Fallen Angels and High-class Devils. And by mastering it, he could even kill God."

Issei made a highly shocked face at hearing that, and looked at his Sacred Gear with a shocked expression.

"Well, no matter how powerful it is, Sacred Gear which needs time has a big risk. There aren't any enemies that would wait for the user to get stronger. Since the opponent was taking it lightly, this was the outcome." Rias said, which caused Issei to slump his head a little at hearing that. Rias then turned to Issei, and patted his head.

"But it's interesting. Just to be expected from my Servant-kun. Just like I thought, Ise is an interesting boy. I'm going to adore you even more." Rias said to him while smiling. Issei blushed at the contact, but soon entered into a sad expression.

"B-Buchou?"

"What is it?"

Issei bowed his head in guilt.

"I'm sorry. When I said I was going to save Asia, I said rude stuff to you because you wouldn't help… But you were helping us behind the scene and…" Issei continued, and then began tearing up.

"You don't have to cry. Seeing you right now, there is no one that will blame you." Rias said to him as she comforted him.

"But…but, I…" Issei sobbed out, but Rias wiped his tears with her fingers.

"It's okay. You just weren't experienced as a Devil yet. That's all to it. Become strong. I'm going to make you work hard from now on, so be prepared. My Pawn, Ise." Rias said to him. Issei sniffed at her, and then nodded.

"Yes." Issei said, his eyes slowly gaining determination to get stronger.

"Now then, I'll finish my last work." Rias said, and turned to Raynare with a cold look, which scared Raynare.

"I will have you disappear, Fallen Angel-san." Rias coldly said to her, while emitting killing intent. "Of course, I will retrieve that Sacred Gear back as well."

"Y-You can't be serious!? This healing power is for Azazel-sama and Shemhaza-sama—" Rayanre stuttered out, but was cut off by Rias.

"To live your life for love is beautiful. But you are too tainted with dirt. You have no elegance. And I don't allow that." Rias said to her, as she aimed her her hands at her. Just as she was about to activate her magic, a new voice entered the scene.

"Well well, its seems I've seen and heard enough." spoke up a new voice.

Everyone turned their heads, and Takeshi found a familiar red haired standing at the door of the Church. When Takeshi saw her, he silently nodded.

'Erika-san.' Takeshi thought.

"And who are you?" Rias questioned, while everyone looked a bit alarmed upon her sudden appearance. Erika simply gave a simple smile as she decided to let actions speak for her, as she revealed her black wings to the group.

As soon as the Peerage saw it, their eyes widened upon seeing this and tensed for a battle, and Takeshi pretended to follow in suit.

"Another one!?" Issei shouted in shock.

Rias made a fearless look as she stood in front of the group with her hands on her hips.

"Well well, I didn't expect more Fallen Angels to arrive at this scene." Rias stated. Akeno sparked with electricity, Yuuto brought out his sword once more, and Koneko raised her fist. Issei struggled to stand up, but his body felt weak. Takeshi, on the other hand, pretended to hid behind one of the pews out of fear.

Seeing everyone tense, Erika puts up her hand in a placating gesture.

"Easy there Rias Gremory and Peerage. I come in peace and not picking for a fight." Erika told the group. Seeing this, the group gave her a raised eyebrow. On the other hand, Raynare smirked.

"Hah! It seems my fellow Fallen Angels came here to save me! You were a fool to think you have beaten me!" Raynare stated with a smirk. Hearing this, Erika gave a sly smirk towards Raynare.

"Oh, you want me to save you? Oh, I can save you alright." Erika said with a mischievous tone.

"Then what are you waiting for!? Get your other-!"

"You didn't let me finish." Erika cut her off. She then cleared her throat, and revealed something shocking to her and the group, save for Takeshi.

"Raynare, under direct orders from Azazel himself, you are hereby under arrest for disobeying orders and conducting treasonous acts. Reasons include killing the holder of the Sacred Gear itself and using a forbidden technology that Azazel himself banned." Erika announced to her, making Rias and her Peerage look surprised upon the announcement while Raynare looked shocked upon hearing this.

"W-What...!? But I never did so! These devils...!" Raynare attempted to lie out of getting out of this, but this merely made Erika look at her with a dismissive look.

"Oh don't bother trying to act innocent. I caught the whole thing you've confessed to. And your friends won't be there to save you. I've already taken care of them and sent them to Azazel to be questioned." Erika stated as she procceded to take out three feathers out of her pocket, and dropped it to the floor, making Raynare's eyes widened with despair upon seeing this and fell silent.

Seeing that she managed to shut up Raynare, she turned to her fellow red head and gave a small apologetic smile.

"Now then Rias Gremory. I understand that these four Fallen Angel no doubt caused a lot of trouble in your territory. I see you have no hesitance in killing them. Personally, I have no qualms with you doing it since they've brought it upon themselves. However, Azazel needs her alive for punishment." Erika explained to Rias, making Rias simply look unfazed by this as she pointed her hand at Raynare.

"It's a shame then. I demand compensation for the lives lost here and the trouble she brought to me and my Peerage. And her life is the appropriate compensation for the trouble she caused." Rias stated, making Raynare look at her in fear.

Erika, on the other hand, didn't look deterred. Instead, she continued to look calm.

"Now now, don't act so hasty Gremory. If you so much as kill her, then you'll be taking Azazel's only information on preventing his other members from sparking Great War. Do you truly want Fallen Angels to provoke your faction and lead into another Great War? Do you want to be responsible for taking away his valuable source of information, knowing that you indirectly caused a Great War?" Erika questioned with a serious look.

Her statement made Rias stop her actions, and look at Erika with a serious expression.

"Is that really true?" Rias questioned. Erika nodded.

"I can assure you, I am telling the truth. I can even ask Azazel to make an an apology letter if you want proof." Erika answered, shooting down Rias's doubts.

Hearing this, Rias stayed quiet for a moment. She then silently turned to her Queen.

"Akeno."

"Yes Buchou?"

"Punish her without killing her." Rias commanded without any remorse. This made Akeno let out a pleasant expression as sparks of electricity danced around her.

"Ufufufu! With pleasure!" Akeno happily said while a sadistic smile appeared on her otherwise graceful face.

"What!?" Raynare cried out in panic. Before she could do anything, lightning descended onto her.

*ZAP*

Raynare continuously cried out in pain, her body spasming upon the intense shock. A short moment has passed, and the electric torture session ended. It soon resulted in Raynare having burnt marks all over her body and heavily twitching from the electricity.

Takeshi grimaced upon seeing this brutal punishment and went green a bit, before forcing it back down.

Seeing that she was dealt with, Koneko picked up the body and threw the unconcious body of Raynare in front of Erika, while Erika made a "that's gotta hurt" expression as she looked down at Raynare.

"...You sure she's not dead?" Erika questioned with a skeptical tone. Rias merely crossed her arms underneath her large bust.

"I believe I got my justice for my adorable servants here. Now then Fallen Angel, take your kind and get out of here before I change my mind on sparing you." Rias said with an imposing tone.

"Yeah yeah, I got you." Erika said while waving off her threat, picking up Raynare's body. She then took off into the sky.

Seeing that she left Fallen Angel left, the group lets our a relieved sigh, with Takeshi letting our a large one.

"Wah! That was way too intense for someone like me!" Takeshi said with relief as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"Ara ara, seems like our resident Magician was quite nervous for his first time." Akeno teased while putting a hand on her cheek.

"W-Well, when you're putting yourself against Fallen Angels with only Enchanter Magic, it tends to make a you a bit anxious." Takeshi said, before he sighed tiredly. "I think I'm done for the night. I'm gonna hit the hay." Takeshi said as he decided to leave. As he did, Issei gave him a grateful nod and smile.

"Thanks a lot Fuyushima! You really helped me and Asia!" Issei thanked with gratitude. Takeshi just gave a small grin back.

"No problem! Oh, and you can call me Takeshi! I don't mind, really!"

"Only if you call me Ise in return! You helped me, so I owe you one!"

"I don't need it, but thank you anyway Issei!" Takeshi said his goodbyes as he left the group. Once he got away from them in a good distance, he soon took out his phone and waited for a certain Fallen Angel to pick up.

* * *

 **(Park)**

Takeshi soon made his way to the park, and found Erika sitting on the fountain alone. Once she spotted him, she just gave a wave at him.

"Hey, looks like you've made it." Erika greeted.

"Yeah. Glad things turned out alright on our end." Takeshi said with a relieved smile. Erika then gave a curious look look to Takeshi.

"You know, I never took as the type who would know how to get around negotiations. How did you know how respond to certain situations when I talked with Gremory? Your text was quiet specific." Erika pointed out.

Before Raynare was taken before Rias and her Peerage, Takeshi quickly texted Erika what do say and do once Raynare was found. He gave her example questions and answers for her to memorize just in case she had to confront Rias and talk her out of letting Raynare go. Suffice to say, his instructions worked for the both of them and managed to save Raynare from death.

"I've read a lot of mystery, psychology, and fictional political novels. I just used the situations I've read and put it together to get through Gremory-senpai. Plus, I somehow predicted this might happen. You know, Murphy's Law. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Takeshi stated with a knowing tone, making Erika look at him with amusement.

"I swear, bookworm till the end." Erika said in a friendly manner. Takeshi simply chuckled at his supposed title before he looked around.

"Say, where's Raynare?" Takeshi asked, looking for a crisp Fallen Angel.

"I already sent her back to the Grigori along with her other partners. No doubt getting chewed out by Azazel." Erika said while saying it like it isn't her problem.

"No doubt there." Takeshi agreed, before his body slumped in a tired manner.

"So...is it all over?" Takeshi asked his Fallen Angel companion.

"Seems like it. We've completed our mission, so I think we're about done here." Erika said with a nod. It was then Takeshi held out his hand to her.

"Well, it was great working with you Erika-san. Thanks for all your help." Takeshi said with a grateful nod. Erika, in turn, just gave a small smile towards him and returned the handshake as well.

"Well, even though it was a short time, I had fun. We should do this sort of thing more often." Erika said while an excited grin formed on her face.

"Ha ha ha, I'd rather not. I prefer avoiding conflict." Takeshi said while scratching the back of his head.

"Oh don't be such a pacifist. It makes things boring." Erika told him with a playful tone.

"I don't know. It sounds nice and fitting for a guy like me." Takeshi said while seeing himself as a pacifist. It isn't that bad being one. Erika merely gave an amused snort, before she shrugged.

"Your loss." Erika said with indifference, before she lets go. Going back a few steps, she gave Takeshi a wave of goodbye before she spread out her wings and took off into the air. In a flash of light, she soon left the area.

Takeshi looked at where she left with a fond smile on his face, before he decided that he should head back home as well.

* * *

 **(Few Days Later - Kuoh Rooftop)**

"...And in the end, Erika-san and I parted ways and I headed back home and went to sleep." Takeshi concluded his story. Sitting next to him was his childhood friend Kiyome, who looked at him with a complexed look on her face. She then proceeded to sigh while rubbing her temples.

"Honestly, to go all through that in one night." Kiyome said with a slight jaded tone.

"Yep! In the end, everything turned out all right." Takeshi said while a carefree smile appeared on his face and lets out a content sigh as he leaned back against the fence.

"Thank goodness that things didn't turn out for the worst. And you were very lucky that you experienced no injuries." Kiyome pointed out. Takeshi simply chuckled as he scratched his cheek.

"There were a few close calls, but I've managed to pull through. But hey, all that it matters is that everything turned okay." Takeshi reassured his friend.

"Yes, let's all be happy that this whole mess ended that way. Hopefully, you won't get yourself into any more trouble, now will you?" Kiyome asked while giving Takeshi a raised eyebrow.

"Ha ha ha, don't worry. I'd prefer not to get myself into these types of situations." Takeshi told her.

"Yet you choose to do so anyway?" Kiyome questioned.

"Well, yeah. I wouldn't sleep well at night if I turned a blind eye towards this whole thing. Plus, I've managed to make two certain people happy." Takeshi said while smiling, making Kiyome sigh at him once more.

"You and your ideals..." Kiyome quietly commented with a resigned tone.

It was then the two saw the door to the rooftop open, and revealed a familiar set of sandy blond hair.

"Oh, hey Saji!" Takeshi greeted with a friendly tone.

"Yeah yeah, hello to you to." Saji responded with a less enthusiastic tone, before he jabbed the back of his thumb behind him half-heartedly. "Kaichou wants to talk to you about something."

"Kaichou?" Takehsi blinked in surprise upon hearing that Sona wants to talk to him. But he suppose that after his involvement with the Fallen Angels, he suppose that Sona wants to hear the story from him, no doubt Rias and her Peerage are busy doing something else.

"Well alright then. Let's see what she wants to talk about. I'll talk with you later Kiyome-chan." Takeshi waved a goodbye to his friend as he went to follow with Saji, while Kiyome gave a small frown.

"I wonder what those Devils want?"

* * *

 **(Later - Student Council Office)**

It turns out that his assumptions were true, as Sona wanted to hear the story from him, as Rias was busy with other matters as of late. So he had to retell his story once more, all the while leaving out a few key details revolving around him and Erika.

"...And then the red haired Fallen Angel took her away. After that, I pretty much went home and crashed into bed. Pretty much ends that night." Takeshi finished retelling his experiences to Sona.

"I see..." Sona said as she folded her fingers together and closed her eyes. "To think the Fallen Angels performed their operations right under our noses. Luckily, this was merely Fallen Angels acting on their own, rather than the whole Faction planning this on their own..."

"Yeah. Looks like we've managed to get through this whole thing without any problems. Lucky us." Takeshi said while chuckling.

"Yes, it is quite fortunate for us that things didn't turn out as consequential as we anticipated. It's also reassuring to the fact that Azazel himself saw this problem." Sona stated.

'Which he asked me to help out in these matters. In fact, you're talking to the guy who helped solve this...part of it of course.' Takeshi thought to himself while considering Erika's help and Rias and her Peerage taking part as well.

"Even if we did resolve this conflict, there are a couple issues I see here." Sona stated while narrowing her eyes at him, making Takeshi blink at her.

"And what would that be?" Takeshi asked curiously. Sona sighed as she pushed up her glasses.

"First off, it is your actions alone. Even if you have participated in this incident with good intentions, you have to remember that this is something you cannot carelessly get yourself involved in. This is a matter between the Three Factions, and it doesn't need any of your concern. Do no take this as me being spiteful to you for participating, but more of a warning. You must carefully take into consideration about your actions and consider the consequences if you were to get yourself involved with the Three Factions." Sona lectured him while her voice sounded serious.

'I was given the green light by Azazel, so I'm pretty much safe.' Takeshi mused in amusement and humor, but soon shook off the thoughts as he simply gave off a sheepish look in order to give off the persona of him being ignorant to the situation.

"Right right, I'll be more careful next time." Takeshi apologized as he scratched the back of his head.

His sheepish reaction, which may have shown he was not taking it seriously, merely caused a few in the room to look at him with raised eyebrow while a few student council members silently giggled. Sona didn't seem to be a bit amused by his reaction, as she merely closed her eyes and exhaled, deciding not to delve into the subject.

"The second issue is your choice of actions. What you did that night was completely reckless and dangerous. You've risked your life in a battle where the outcome is uncertain. This sort of behavior is something I do not approve of, and I strongly advise you not to act like that again. You are both a student of this academy and resident of our territory. And as your Student President and overseer of Kuoh territory, your well being is concerned. Please do remember that." Sona told him.

It was to her surprise when Takeshi gave a slight chuckle, making the other members look at him with surprise and/or shock evident on their faces.

"You know, a lot of people keep telling me that, so you're not the first one Kaichou." Takeshi chuckled while giving a small smile, as he proceeded to stand up pick up his backback.

"You're right about me risking my life, seeing how this case doesn't involve my concerns. However, this is something I chose to do on my own free will and sense of duty. If I didn't follow those, I wouldn't be the kind of person I am today." Takeshi told her with an honest look, before he waved a goodbye.

"Thanks for your concerns Kaichou. It's appreciated." Takeshi said with a friendly tone as he opened the door and left the room.

Silence fell upon the room upon his rather bold response to Sona's serious lecturing, with Sona staring at the door where he left. After a short moment, she merely sighed while rubbing her temples.

"...He honestly sounds a lot like Onee-sama..." Sona quietly commented.

* * *

 **(Home)**

"...I'm home." Takeshi quietly said to himself, before he exhaled out and inhaled the homely atmosphere. He looked around, before a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

'...Things sure have gone quite around here.' Takeshi thought to himself. Looking around, he noticed that his home was a bit too quiet than usual. He then realized that it was because Erika wasn't here anymore. Her presence did bring another different air to his home, with her optimistic and joking personality. Now things are quite like usual, with only him and his cat.

'I wonder what Erika-san is doing right now...' Takeshi wondered to himself as he made his way past through the family room.

"Oh, hey Takeshi." Erika greeted casually as she sat on his sofa while watching tv.

"Hello Erika-san." Takeshi greeted normally as he walked past her.

It was then after a few steps out of the family room did he stop in his tracks. He then paused for a short moment, before he processed what was going on. Walking backwards in a rapid pace, Takeshi turned to the Fallen Angel in question, who is still sitting on his sofa.

"...Erika-san!?" Takeshi exclaimed in surprise. The Fallen Angel in turn simply gave him a cheeky smile.

"I thought we established a greeting already?" Erika asked while feigning innocence.

"W-What are you doing here? I thought..." Takeshi asked in befuddled tone, surprised to see her in his house just after a few days after that incident. Erika simply dug into her pocket and took out a letter.

"Oh, right. Well, this letter will explain everything. It's from Azazel." Erika answered as she handed him the letter. Seeing the letter he received, Takeshi opened it and took out what was inside it. Reading it, it is indeed from Azazel.

 _Hey Fuyushima-kun,_

 _Seems like I was right in placing my trust on you. Thanks to you, four of my subordinates are safely returned alive. Beaten up and fried (you know who I'm talking about), but alive nonetheless. You've held your end of the deal, so I guess I owe you a favor, don't I? Well, that's fine by me._

 _Bet you were surprised by Erika as well, huh? Well, it's because of another thing. I hate to put more weight on your shoulders kid, but I'm afraid I have to ask you another favor._

 _You see, ever since you've returned my subordinates back to me, I've been having a strong suspicion among some of the members of the Grigori now. It seems like someone is trying to start another major conflict with the Three Factions once more. I have a few ideas, but I can't just go off pointing fingers at people, ya know? Anyways, whoever it is wants to keep things quiet, which is unfortunate for me and my subordinates._

 _If I know anything, its that they're willing to tie up loose ends so they can continue to work in the shadows. The four that you've returned to me will be questioned, but at the same time be put into hiding, seeing as to how their lives are endangered._

 _And seeing how I got Erika into this mess, I've decided it was best to put her into hiding as well. And what better way is to hide her with you? I mean, I don't think they'll ever suspect someone returning to the scene of the crime, if you get what I mean.  
_

 _Now, don't think you'll gain nothing out of this, I assure you. In return for letting Erika stay at your hideout, she'll act your maid. Pretty cool, huh?_

 _Ha ha, I'm partly joking. Seeing how your skills with magic are subpar at best, Erika here will help you develop your skills both physically and magically. Earning training from a Fallen Angel no doubt opens a lot of opportunities. It's the least I can do after putting this much on your shoulders.  
_

 _Anyways, best luck to you Fuyushima-kun. With the ways things are going now, you're going to need it._

 _From yours truly,_

 _Azazel_

 _P.S. You can really have her act as your maid. Maids are quite popular in Japan, right? I'm sure a guy like you will enjoy it!_

Takeshi finished reading the letter and stayed silent for a moment. He then lowered the paper and took a look at Erika with an unreadable expression on his face, while Erika was smiling in satisfaction upon watching his reaction.

"Well congrats, you earned yourself a maid." Erika told him while growing a sly smile of her own, making Takeshi look a bit shocked from hearing this.

"H-Hold on a moment. Don't you have any objections to this?" Takeshi asked while looking confounded, making Erika put on a thoughtful look.

"Well, I always wanted to try out a maid's outfit..." Erika said with a considering tone.

"H-Huh!?"

"Shall I start calling you master from here on?" Erika continued while giving him a sly look, making Takeshi sweat a bit while giving an awkward smile.

"Ha ha ha...I-I don't think that's necessary..." Takeshi responded.

It was then Erika proceeded to stifle a laugh, while her body was trembling just from holding in the laughter.

"Jeez, you're so fun to mess with." Erika snickered, making Takeshi look at her with surprise, and realized her intentions.

'...She was just messing with me.' Takeshi realized, before he sighed in relief. 'Seems like Erika didn't change one bit. I suppose that's a good thing...I think.'

"Oh good, I thought you were serious." Takeshi said in relief while his body eased from the stress, making Erika to simply giggle at him. He then gave her a raised eyebrow.

"So...I guess you'll be staying here for a while." Takeshi pointed out.

"I guess so." Erika shrugged, before she gave a small as she stood up and turned to face Takeshi. "But don't think I won't stay here free loading. Azazel did say I am going to help you with your magic and physical skills."

"Oh right, Azazel did say that..." Takeshi said as he scratched the back of his head. "But still, feel free to make yourself at home. It's sort of my fault that I got you into this whole mess. It's the least I can do to repay you."

Erika simply sighed with a smile as she shook her head. "Honestly..."

"What is it?" Takeshi asked.

"It's nothing." Erika said while digressing from the subject, before she gave him a smirk.

"Better ready yourself, because this Fallen Angel will whip you right into shape. Human or not, I'll make sure you're ready to take on anyone." Erika told him. It was then Takeshi felt chills up his spine as he began to sweat nervously, and gave an awkward smile.

"...It is too late for you to consider the maid occupation?" Takeshi asked nervously.

It was then Takeshi knew from here on, his life will take another turn from here. And it certainly won't stop.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap to this chapter!**

 **Whew, this took a lot of work to pull this off, but I am rather satisfied with what I have done! And with about more than 17K words. Not bad for a fourth chapter to this story, and the end of this whole arc! Hooray! This is where things truly move into play.  
**

* * *

 **(Takeshi's Capabilities)**

 **As stated many times in the story, Takeshi's current strength when fighting alone is sub-par at best. He can only do so much with Enchanter Magic until he runs into a dead end.**

 **However, when you give him allies to work with, that is when his true strength comes out. He can both strengthen his allies while hindering the enemy, effectively taking control of the battle. That is where Takeshi's strength truly shined in this chapter. That is the true point of being an Enchanter.  
**

 **That is to say, Takeshi won't always be fighting with allies. There will be times where he will encounter enemies on his own. But not to worry. Takeshi will get stronger as the story progresses. You'll see.**

 **Plus, it wasn't only his Enchanter Magic alone. His intellect and strategies also played a huge part in turning the tides of the battle as well. For his character theme, I want to make him very mentally strong, rather than strong physical or power wise. It brings a nice change to the table.**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	5. The Rider

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other Elements/Characters.  
**

 **Jeez, I'm constantly getting the whole harem member requests as of late. Like I said before, the whole harem thing will be revealed as the story progresses, unlike most authors who just give away the whole harem list at the beginning of the story.  
**

 **Sorry for the long wait guys. I've been really busy with real life priorities, and with all the studying going around, it's pretty hard to write my fanfics. But have no fear, because today is a special day.**

 **Today, I finally finished the last day of high school! Literally, after this day, I am graduating!** **HOORAY! NO MORE PAINFUL SCHOOL WORK TO DEAL WITH! That is, until college. But it still doesn't matter! I'm done with high school!**

 **So to mark this occasion, I've decided to publish this new chapter! So enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Rider  
**

 **(Training Floor)**

Takeshi once again found himself lying on the floor, heavily exhausted, body feeling sore, and his mind a bit disoriented. And he knew exactly why he is feeling like this.

"C'mon, is that all you got? I've seen average humans do better than you." Erika called him out as she stood over him, looking down on him as she gave him a sly smirk. She currently wore a white and green track outfit. Takeshi just returned with a weak smile.

"Ha ha ha...w-well, considering that I'm a Magician in training, I didn't really take in the factor of physical labor...ow..." Takeshi said before wincing upon the soars that his body soon began to feel.

It's been like this ever since Erika decided to stay at his home for a while to go into hiding. After finishing school, he would spend the rest of his afternoon having to endure Erika's training, which Takeshi found himself crashing into bed every single night and feeling the sores in the morning. It didn't help that he wasn't exactly as physically fit as an average athletic person (despite the fact that he ran to school almost every weekday), so he had a very rough start.

Even though he is a patient person to everyone, he begun to question if this was even considered beneficial to him as Azazel claimed. Erika didn't really help in that matters either.

"That's not an excuse. The most obvious weakness for the majority of Magicians is that they really physically weak. I mean seriously, martial artists and boxers can easily beat them down if you take away their magic. I'm simply helping you overcome that weakness. I mean, at the very least, you'd be able to take like a punch or two..."

"T-That's reassuring..." Takeshi commented, still trying to remain optimistic in this situation.

"Well anyways, we're getting you into shape! And until I see an outline of muscle on your body, we'll be continuing this every single day! Come on, we still got like half an hour left before this is all over. Now come on, we just finished 100 push ups and 100 sit ups. Now all we have left is 100 squats and 10km running." Erika told him.

This made Takeshi blink a few times upon what she said in her statement.

"...Wait, isn't that from...?" Takeshi tried to point out, before he yelped as Erika swung down a shinai onto the ground.

"No time for questions! Now is the time to get your ass moving!"

"WAH!"

* * *

 **(Kuoh Academy)**

Takeshi gave out a tired sigh as he walked tiredly across school hall. His body could still feel the sores from last night's workout, and he found sitting still in the classroom as valuable time for him to rest his aching body.

Pushing asides his thoughts about his aching body, he wondered what he should do for his entire time at Kuoh Academy. He and Kiyome couldn't spend their time together today due to her being busy with the tennis club. Nobody seems to be seeking his help with their academic studies. Seeing his two main activities gone, there was only one thing for Takeshi to decide on.

"I suppose I should read the latest literature in the library." Takeshi said to himself, deciding that he'll pass the time in the library and enjoy his books as usual.

"You always like to keep your nose in the books, huh Takeshi?" a voice spoke up.

Takeshi blinked upon hearing the voice, before he turned his head to see who it is. His eyes widened a bit when he saw him.

His appearance was that of a young man that appears to be his age. He had shoulder length green hair, green eyes, and an accessory of red goggles on top of his head. Just like any student in Kuoh Academy, he wore the male Kuoh Academy uniform.

Seeing the person before him, Takeshi couldn't help but smile in recognition and elation.

"Lubbock!" Takeshi said with a bright tone as he walked towards the green haired man. Lubbock, in turn, gave a smirk to Takeshi as he raised his fist. Seeing this, Takeshi raised his fist as well. The two met in the middle, and the made a fist bump with each other.

"Long time no see! It's been a while!" Takeshi told his fellow teen with a cheerful attitude.

"Same to you Takeshi. And I see you haven't changed a bit." Lubbock retorted with a friendly tone.

"Just like you and your healthy like for women." Takeshi returned back with a friendly tone.

"True..." Lubbock admitted with no shame, making Takeshi chuckle upon hearing this.

He and Lubbock share a good history together. Back his first year in middle school, Takeshi was nervous and had trouble socializing with others. His late father supported him when he was in his elementary years, but since his father passed away before his middle school years, he didn't have anybody to support him in interacting with others. It gave him a very difficult time in making friends with others, with the exception of Kiyome. But he wanted to make friends of the same gender.

That is where Lubbock came in. He noticed Takeshi's predicament and and loneliness, so he decided to take Takeshi under his wing to sort of say. He was the main reason that he helped Takeshi develop his self-esteem and his skills in interacting with others. Though, it was very fortunate for Takeshi when he avoided Lubbock's rather healthy interest in the female body. Not at the level of the Perverted Trio, but a perv nonetheless.

However, that just made him that lovable perverted idiot, and Takeshi quite enjoyed having a friend like that. Lubbock always did bring excitement in his life.

"So what have you been doing? I haven't seen you since the first day of our first year here at Kuoh Academy." Takeshi asked.

He and Lubbock entered Kuoh Academy at first years. But as decided by fate or whatever higher order, they were assigned different classes and schedules, making them miss each other throughout most of their time in school. And whenever they do finish their time, Takeshi couldn't find Lubbock anywhere after school. So he was forced to attend school without Lubbock being by his side.

Up until now that is.

"Yeah, class schedules are a pain. It didn't even help that my family business demanded my attention as well. But hey, things are starting to ease up on my end. You, on the other hand, looks like you're taking it easy." Lubbock told him with a sly grin.

"You could say that..." Takeshi said while his mind reminisced on recent events with the Fallen Angels. Lubbock then ringed his arm around Takeshi's shoulder.

"Well then, since we have the time, I wouldn't waste it so soon. So, want to come to my place after this?" Lubbock asked, making Takeshi blink upon Lubbock's offer.

'That's weird. Normally, Lubbock likes to come to my home and spend time there. Now that I think about it, I've never been to his home...' Takeshi thought as he realized that very fact.

Seeing this, Takeshi then saw two options before him. Accept and go with Lubbock to his place to catch up, not knowing when he'll get home. Or politely decline and return back to his Magician training and intense physical workouts with Erika.

It didn't really take much of Takeshi's time and thinking to know which decision is correct.

"Sure, I would love to!" Takeshi happily accepted.

He needed a break from her training!

* * *

 **(Bookstore)**

Takeshi was a bit surprised when he followed Lubbock to a rather plain looking part of Kuoh. The place wasn't exactly clean or filthy, but it just seemed rather plain. And he followed his green haired friend to some plain looking store. As they both entered, Takeshi saw that this seems to be some newly opened bookstore. Considering the fact that he visits bookstores daily, it was to Takeshi's surprise to find a new one.

"So um...you needed to buy something Lubbock?" Takeshi asked, unsure why they were here. Lubbock simply gave a small smirk on his lips.

"I'm pretty sure I have everything I need. After all, this store is owned by me." Lubbock pointed out, making Takehsi look at him with surprise.

"O-Own?" Takeshi asked in surprise, before he realized something. "Oh right, I remember you telling me that your family run a successful trading business. But I honestly didn't expect you to own store. You decided to enter into the business early?"

"You're right about that one. It's only natural that a child wants to take after his parents. Plus, I've been interested in merchandise business from the start. So naturally, I've started a small store to get me started." Lubbock said as he led Takeshi to the back of the store.

"Amazing...you've managed to start a business of your own..." Takeshi said with amazement.

"It's nothing special really. Although, you do find this to your interest, huh? I'm willing to give you a special discount." Lubbock playfully elbowed his friend, making Takeshi grin while scratching the back of his head.

"Nah, I wouldn't want any special treatment. It's not fair to others, you know?" Takeshi said while looking around the store in interest.

"Well, I'm sure you're going to like what I show you here. There is something more to this." Lubbock said as he gestured Takeshi to follow him.

As Takeshi did, Lubbock led him through the door to the back room of the store. Once entering it, Lubbock moved a crate aside and revealed a hidden door, much to Takeshi's surprise.

"Lubbock?" Takeshi asked in surprise. Lubbock didn't say anything as he lifted the door. He then turned to Takeshi and gestured him to follow.

"C'mon, this where the true goods are." Lubbock told him as he walked down the hidden stair case. Takeshi slightly hesitated, before he decided to trust and follow his good friend.

He and Lubbock made their way down the staircase and soon approached a door. Lubbock opened the door and the two entered the room. Takeshi looked around in surprise to see the room they entered upon. The whole room had a couple couches and a basic table between them. The room had boxes here and there, and there appeared to be some work desk at the side of the room. There were shelves full of items that Takeshi never seen before.

Takeshi looked around in surprise as Lubbock spread his arms wide open in a welcoming gesture.

"Welcome to my own little hideout! This is something I've made since I made the bookstore. Pretty neat, huh?" Lubbock asked while looking proud of his base.

"Wow Lubbock, I never knew you had a secret base like this..." Takeshi commented as he looked around in surprise.

"Well yeah. I have a secret base, while you kept the secret of you being a Magician." Lubbock pointed out casually. Takeshi simply nodded.

"Yeah, how I have the secret of being a Magi-!?" Takeshi froze in realization upon what Lubbock just said, and his eyes widened in shock.

Lubbock simply smirked as he saw Takeshi's startled expression. "What's the matter, is it something I said?" Lubbock asked slyly.

Takeshi took a step back while giving a nervous smile and laught. "H-Ha ha ha, v-very funny joke there Lubbock...I didn't take you as a j-joker..." Takeshi nervously said, trying to play dumb but failing in the end. Lubbock gave a "tsk" noise while wagging his finger.

"Takeshi Takeshi Takehsi...when will you ever learn that you are a terrible liar? I mean, you're good at keeping secrets and covering up a few things, but you honestly can't lie yourself out of a situation." Lubbock said with a knowing tone.

Takeshi winced a bit at Lubbock's statement, and sweated a bit. "U-Urm...so you know about...what I do?" Takeshi nervously asked.

Lubbock simply chuckled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Relax, you're not in trouble about this whole secret being out. I should know, since I'm pretty well involved with the supernatural as well."

This made Takeshi blink in surprise upon hearing this.

"W-What?" Takeshi stuttered in surprise.

"You heard me." Lubbock said with a grin, before he lifted his hand to reveal a glove with gears attached to it. He flicked his hand, and wires came straight out and wrapped around a can that is on a table. With a flick of his wrist, the can immedeatly came to him. Lubbock grinned as he opened it and drunk the contents.

"Ahh, hits the spot." Lubbock said with with a content smile.

"W-Wow...I guess you are involved..." Takeshi quietly said while owlishly blinking at this.

"So hurtful with all the doubt, you know?" Lubbock said with a mock hurt tone, all the while giving a friendly smile.

"N-No, I'm just trying to take in the fact that my close friend of all people is involved in the supernatural world as I am. Though, Kiyome-chan came first..." Takeshi muttered, making Lubbock grin.

"Oh yeah, that other friend of yours with the impressive knockers. She and her family have a reputation in the supernatural world. I'm surprised that you didn't know of her reputation." Lubbock said.

"Well, I was busy training to become a Magician, so stuff like that didn't really concern me..." Takeshi said with a slightly embarrassed look.

"Eh, whatever. So anyways, I suppose we should properly introduce ourselves now, considering that we've kept this a secret from the both of us." Lubbock said. This made Takeshi blink upon realization as he finally noticed something.

"Wait, how did you find out that I am a Magician?" Takeshi asked.

"Oh, it's simple really. Do you honestly think that recent incidents in this town won't go unnoticed? I mean, Stray Exorcists and Fallen Angels were running around town. It was to my surprise when I caught you of all people getting yourselves involved with them. Especially that hot red haired chick." Lubbock said with a knowing smirk.

"You mean Erika-san?" Takeshi pointed out.

"Oh, that's what her name is? Cool, now I don't have to worry about asking her name. And to answer your question, let's just say I have my sources." Lubbock said with a chuckle as he took of sip of his drink. "Anyways, I suppose we're getting off topic here. I'll start things off."

"Just call me Lubbock. I'm the fourth son of a wealthy trading business family who happens to have strong business with the supernatural. Customers can be all types of species, be it Angels, Devils, Fallen Angels, anybody. and we'll be able to deliver it. I run this little shop of mine to start my own little business with the supernatural." Lubbock introduced himself.

"Well, I'm Takeshi Fuyushima, Magician in training and proficient Enchanter. It's nice to meet you as well." Takeshi properly introduced himself. After hearing each other's greetings, the two then chuckled together.

"Oh yeah, speaking of introductions..." Lubbock said as he turned his head towards a certain door.

"Hey Lisbeth! We got a guest!" Lubbock shouted to the door.

Takeshi then heard a bunch of loud rustling noises and metal clangs, and his ears picked up a voice from the other side of the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Hold on for a moment!" shouted a voice from the other side of the door.

Some loud noises later, the door was open and revealed the person.

It appeared to be a girl around their age. She had short brown hair that had a white hairpin to keep the bangs out of her eyes. She currently wore some sort of blacksmith uniform which sort of resembled a waitress. It had a dark red top with puffed sleeves and a flared skirt of the same color as well as a pure white apron over that and a red ribbon atop her chest.

She was currently a bit dirty, with a few smudges here and there. She walked into the room while giving Lubbock a slightly annoyed look.

"Geez, I was in the middle of crafting something and here you go calling me out all of a sudden." the girl complained to Lubbock, causing Lubbock to chuckle.

"Well I didn't know. Besides, I wanted to introduce to you a good friend of mine." Lubbock said as he patted on Takeshi's shoulder. Lisbeth turned to Takeshi and gave him a good look, while Takeshi just blinked at her while not saying anything. After a short moment, she turned to Lubbock.

"So, anything special about him?" the girl asked curiously.

"Oh yeah. Turns out he is this town's resident Magician." Lubbock told her.

"Oh? That's surprising." the girl said, before she turned to Takeshi and gave a small friendly smile.

"Well, I haven't really introduced myself, haven't I? My name is Shinozaki Rika, but you can just call me Lisbeth." the girl, now known as Lisbeth, introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Takeshi Fuyushima, Magician in training." Takeshi introduced himself. "So Lisbeth-san, you're occupied with the supernatural as well?" Takeshi asked.

"That's right. My family and I run a blacksmith business. Our weapons are pretty top notch, and many supernatural factions actually come to us in interest for our weapons and our rather good deals." Lisbeth said it with pride.

"Yeah. And seeing how my family specializes in training, our two businesses struck a good partnership." Lubbock explained to Takeshi, who nodded in understanding.

"Ah, now I get it. That explains why she is here. Because you two are working together due to family business." Takeshi stated.

"That's right. Lisbeth and I run a little business together. Granted, we're not getting much progress, but considering that we're a small business and the reputation isn't known, I suppose it's only natural." Lubbock said with a shrug.

"Well, I'm sure you two are going to make it far. Every successful business starts small." Takeshi said with an encouraging smile.

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." Lubbock agreed with a small smile on his face.

"The bromance sure is strong between you two." Lisbeth said with amusement as she crossed her arms.

"Well of course. Lubbock is practically my male best friend." Takeshi said with a small grin.

"Really now? No female friends?" Lisbeth asked curious.

"Oh yeah. He's close friends with a girl named Kiyome. And I gotta say, you chose the right friend to be with." Lubbock said as he playfully elbowed Takeshi.

"You haven't changed at all Lubbock." Takeshi replied with a smile.

"It's an unfortunate trait I have to work with." Lisbeth said with an unamused tone.

"So harsh..." Lubbock said with a fake hurt tone, before he turned to Takeshi. "Well anyways, that's what we basically do around here. I figured it was best to get all of this stuff out of the way. We're rarely hang out anymore."

"True. With our school schedules conflicting, we can't really do much together at school. Here, on the other hand..." Takeshi pointed out.

"Yep. That's what I had in plan." Lubbock said with a nod.

"Cool. Oh, and don't hesitate on asking me to help. I don't want to be a freeloader when I'm staying here." Takeshi told him, making Lubbock chuckle.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Lubbock waved it off.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone to catch up. I still need to take care of something." Lisbeth said as she walked back into her own little workshop.

"I suppose we should catch up since we didn't hang out for a long time. I suppose the first thing to start off is offering you something in this room, free of charge." Lubbock offered, making Takeshi blink in surprise.

"W-What? Lubbock, while I appreciate it and all, you don't have to-"

"Oh save it. Most of the stuff here are random stuff I collected over the years. I usually get these items from the compliments that my parents' customers gave them after a sucessful business trade, and the stuff I have is either sold cheaply or just plain out collecting dust. So really, I don't have much use of them other than cheap money." Lubbock explained to him.

"Oh. Well, thanks a lot Lubbock."

"Don't mention it."

Takeshi walked towards the shelf and looked through the items Lubbock collected. Some were interesting antiques from different mythologies and cultures, some were decorated daggers, and others were just random items. Takeshi hummed a bit, before he noticed a particular brown box sticking out. Pulling it out, he used his sleeve to swipe off the dust.

"Oh you interested in that? It's some complimentary kit we received from some Magician's association after a successful trade with them." Lubbock told him, making Takeshi look at his friend beside him.

"Do you mind if I have this?" Takeshi asked.

"Not at all. It's not that much of use to me of Lisbeth anyway. We don't even know how to pull off magic, so the best thing it'll do is just collect dust." Lubbock said while waving it off.

"Well...if that's the case, then I'll take it." Takeshi said with an small excited grin.

"Heh, sold. Now then, why won't we catch up a bit since we didn't really hang out over a year?"

* * *

 **(Home - Bedroom)**

After spending a good amount of time catching up with his middle school friend, Takeshi decided to make his way home before night could fall. Takeshi set down the box on his desk. Flipping off a couple locks, Takeshi opened the box and looked inside its contents. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing the contents, interested and curious about the materials he is seeing.

He reached inside and took out a particular book. Deciding to use his power, Takeshi closed his eye and concentrated on the book in his hand, absorbing the book's contents and information. A short moment later, Takeshi opened his eyes with an interested look.

"Well this is rather interesting. This is something I should check out." Takeshi said to himself with a great amount of interest.

"What's interesting?" spoke up a voice sounding curious.

"Oh, I just finished reading this book about..." Takeshi started, before his voice slowed down upon realizing the voice. He slowly turned around while breaking out small sweat. Erika leaned against his door frame with sly smile on her face.

"U-Um..." Takeshi nervously stuttered, as he realized what this situation is leading up to.

He has been Lubbock for quite a while now, and he missed his beginning time with Erika's training session. So left Erika waiting for a good amount of time before he came home. And Erika wasn't the type of person who can be patient with late people.

"You know, it's kind of rude to keep a girl waiting." Erika stated while a dangerous glint appeared in her eye.

"W-Well, to be fair, I was catching up with a good friend of mine that I haven't seen over the years..." Takeshi explained a bit nervously, hoping that Erika isn't too mad at him and amp up the torturous training session.

"Ah, I see..." Erika said while nodding in understanding. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. Teenagers these days couldn't help but hang out and enjoy their youth. This is weird saying it, considering how I'm your age." Erika said with a small sniff.

"Yeah, it couldn't be helped." Takeshi said while scratching the back of his head, feeling a bit relieved that Erika understands. That is, until Erika grabbed him by the back of the collar and began dragging him out of the room.

"It also couldn't be helped that since you've missed out a lot in our daily training session. So I guess we have to make this session short and intense." Erika said with a casual tone, getting Takeshi to break out into horror as soon as he heard this.

"P-Please don't..." Takeshi whimpered as he was being dragged out of his room. He then spotted his cat Blair sitting on his best while swaying her tail around. Takeshi held out his hand to her.

'Help me.' Takeshi mouthed out to his cat, hoping that it could save him in this situation.

Blair simply tilted her head in response, much to Takeshi's horror. The cat watched as Takeshi disappeared from the door as it closed.

* * *

 **(Training Room)**

Takeshi groaned pitifully as he lied on the floor exhausted, while Erika was sitting on his back while flipping through the pages of a magazine.

"A-Are we done?" Takeshi groaned in soreness and pain.

"Eh, give or take 30 more minutes." Erika said casually as she flipped through another page, resulting in hearing another groan from Takeshi. "Oh stop being such a baby. You can't miss out on your training to become stronger."

"It would be nice to improve in the magical aspect..." Takeshi muttered, but Erika heard him as she sighed while closing the magazine.

"I honestly can't help you there. I've tried to help you with the magic I know, but for some reason, you just can't cast the spells. Even the most basic spell of Fortification Magic is out of your reach. The closest thing you've reached to it is your **Keen Edge** , but that falls under the Enchanter category. Fortification is separate in this particular case." Erika told him.

She tried to help Takeshi in the magical aspect, but like his previous work, he can't seem to work with it. Fortification magic is something he can barely pull off, but it just ends miserably. The other type of magic isn't suited for Takeshi's style and body, to which he agreed with. Heck, Erika tried to teach him how to cast a light spear for the heck of it, but it ended miserably.

She really couldn't do much there with Takeshi's magic, so she just focused her efforts on training him physically.

"It makes me wonder why you can only do Enchanter spells and not other spells." Erika said with a thoughtful look, before she sighed and stood up. "Well, whatever the case, we have to keep working on looking for other options if you want to progress."

"The road to becoming a successful Magician sure is a long one for me..." Takeshi said while sighing, rolling and sitting up. Erika stayed silent for a few moments, before she gave Takeshi a considering look.

"You know what? I think after what you've been through, I think it is appropriate for you to know something." Erika told him, making Takeshi look at her with an interested expression.

"What is it?" Takeshi asked curiously.

"Since the first day I've meet you, I've had this some sort of weird feeling around you." Erika explained to him as she folded her arms. "It's kind of common, considering that we Fallen Angels have like this sixth sense around certain items."

"What do you mean?" Takeshi asked, not sure where she is going with this. Erika went into a thoughtful look.

"...Takeshi, you may very well have a Sacred Gear." Erika told him.

Silence passed through the room, neither one saying anything upon her statement. Takeshi gave a plain expression, before he blinked owlishly upon what he heard.

"M-Me? I have a Sacred Gear?" Takeshi asked with surprise in his tone.

"It's possible. We'll never know unless we try." Erika answered with a shrug. Takeshi looked down at himself and placed his hand on his chest.

"Huh...that's rather surprising. I never knew I had one." Takeshi said.

"Most humans these days can go on with their lives without activating their Sacred Gears. So I guess it's natural that you didn't know you had one." Erika explained.

"Huh...so how do I bring it out?" Takeshi asked her, considering that Fallen Angels and Sacred Gears are well connected. Erika puts on a thoughtful look as she tried to think about it.

"Well, let's see here...If I remember correctly, the most common thing to do is to imagine reaching some deep power within yourself, and you need to have the desire actually bring it out. That's how bringing out inner power works these days." Erika explained to him with a shrug.

"...Reach a deep power within me, huh?" Takeshi muttered to himself, before he closed his eyes and focused.

'Focus...Remember what Dad told me...Keep a steady focus on the goal before you, and you shall reach it. Keep focused and concentrate...just like magic...' Takeshi thought to himself as he focused on bringing out his supposed Sacred Gear. Takeshi inhaled deeply, and gave a slow exhale as his mind grew silent and focused on nothing more than bringing out his power.

It was then Takeshi felt some sudden tug in his body and soon felt his body push out something. He lightly gasped as he felt something in his hands, and slowly opened his eyes to see what is it.

And boy, was he surprised to see what it is.

In his hand appeared to be some sort of Chinese Style Horse Whip. The design of the horse whip had long handle that had a mixture of black and golden, designed into square mazes plaid pattern. At the end of the horse whip was a bunch of fine material made into a mop of strings, with the color of deep blood red.

Takeshi blinked owlishly at the item in his hand, while Erika had the same expression as well. The two stared at the item in his hand in silence for a short moment.

"...I'll admit, I did not expect this to appear." Erika commented quietly, before she gave a look at Takeshi. "What, you have some sort of fetish that you didn't share with me?"

"..." Takeshi didn't respond as his body was still. Hearing no response from him, Erika gave a disappointment look.

"You're no fun, you know that?" Erika told him with a flat tone. She blinked when she didn't hear a respond from Takeshi, which made her raise an eyebrow.

"What, you giving me the silent treatment now?" Erika called out to him once more. She gave a frown as she still didn't hear an answer from him. Getting a bit irritated, she snapped her fingers right in front of him.

"Hey! I'm talking to you here! Kind of rude ignoring someone!" Erika called out to him.

"..."

"Seriously, what the hell is-!?" Erika yelled as she got closer to Takeshi and looked straight into his face, but soon stopped when she realized something strange about him.

He had this some sort of hypnotized look on his face, not being able to respond to anything as his eyes were completely blank and didn't give the slightest of facial expressions.

"...What the...?"

* * *

 **(Unknown)**

The moment Takeshi brought forth his supposed Sacred Gear, his consciousness soon faded to darkness and he saw absolutely nothing. But a moment later, he soon felt his vision coming back to him.

Slowly opening his eyes, he felt bright light enter into his eyes, something that he winced a bit as he shaded his eyes with his hands while his eyes adjusted to the light. His other senses soon came back to him, and he became surprised upon what he felt around him.

His ears picked up the tranquil sounds of water. The smell of a fresh garden entered his nose. He could practically taste the fresh and crisp air around him.

When his visions cleared, he soon saw his surroundings.

It appeared to be some sort of Chinese Garden. All around him was a pond with a few lily pads here and there. He was in the middle of the pond, with him in a pavilion. In front of him appeared to be a bridge. And across the bridge appeared to be an elegant Chinese styled home, surrounded by carefully placed rocks and elegant looking plants.

Takeshi looked around in surprise, seeing how he is here in this location while away from his home.

"Where am I...?" Takeshi quietly asked to himself as he walked out of the pavilion and looked at the water around him. Looking down at the pond, he saw a reflection of himself and blinked in surprise upon what he saw.

No longer in his workout clothes, he now wore some sort of long sleeved black Chinese buttoned shirt, followed along with black Chinese pants.

"...I don't remember changing into this." Takeshi muttered to himself, looking at his new clothes. Growing a bit more weary he is at, Takeshi made his way through the bridge and around the home, which was quiet and void of people. Seeing how no one is home, Takeshi decided that it was best to look around. If someone did fine him, he would apologize and immedeatly leave, hoping that it wouldn't escalate into something bad.

It was to relief and worry that he didn't find anybody home. But he grew a bit more worried, seeing how he can't find the exit. After making his through through multiple hallways, he soon found a large red Chinese door at the back of the home. Slowly opening the door, his eyes widened a bit upon what he saw on the other side.

It was a large area, surrounded by walls. In the center was a large Chinese temple.

"...I'm definitely not in Japan anymore..." Takeshi quietly told himself. Seeing how quiet and empty it is, he made his way towards the temple.

When he made it to the temple, he soon approached the doors and slowly opened them as well. Looking inside, he noticed that it was plain dark, and the sunlight only filled a narrow path for him to follow.

Cautiously making his way into the room, he looked around and tried to see what is in the temple. He flinched in surprise when the door behind him suddenly closed, shutting off all light into the room.

Seeing this happen, Takeshi's body tensed and his heart beat quickly as he was now blind in the dark. However, his sight in the darkness soon ended when bright candles at the side of the room suddenly lit up, illuminating the once dark room he is in.

The whole room was decorated with such an elegant style that Takeshi swore that he is in some palace. The walls of the room were deep red in color. Ceilings had lamps that had bright candles. It also had elegant red cloth hanging from the ceiling. And in front of the room was stairs leading up to some large painting with horses painted onto it.

Takeshi looked around in awe upon seeing the design of this place. "What is this place...?"

 **[You can call it my home.]**

Takeshi nearly jumped in surprise when a sudden voice spoke up and echoed through the room. He looked around the room and saw no one around. Before he could ask where the source of the voice is, a sudden glow appeared in front of the horse painting and on top of the platform that the stairs led to.

When the glow died down, it revealed a person.

The person appeared to be a middle aged man. He had red hair and a yellow mustache and beard which tapered off to a point. He wore a long-sleeved light-red shirt and pants, with mesh-armour shirt and fitted black suit underneath, along with calf-length sandals.

"W-Who are you...?" Takeshi asked a bit anxiously, seeing how this person appeared out of nowhere.

The man said nothing as he gave a strong gaze at Takeshi, before he broke out into a smirk.

 **[So, we finally meet boy.]**

"I-I'm sorry? Do I know you?" Takeshi said, a bit confused what the man meant by it.

 **[No. You didn't know about me, but I've know about you boy.]** the man stated as he folded his arms.

"What do you mean?" Takeshi asked.

 **[Well, you're a smart kid. So I'll give you a hint. What was the last thing you're doing before you came to this place?]** the man asked.

"What I did before I came here?" Takeshi quietly repeated, before he looked down in thought. "The last thing I remember is being in my basement while trying to bring out something within me. But when I brought it out, I just blacked out and appeared here." Takeshi answered honestly, not knowing what else to say.

 **[I see. Well then, allow me to give you one more hint. You weren't teleported, and you are still at your home.]** the man told him with a witty tone.

"I wasn't teleported, yet I'm still at my home..." Takehsi quietly said to himself, trying to figure out what the man meant by that. He didn't know why he was playing along with the man's riddles and vague hints, but considering that this man was the only source to find out where and why he is here, he had to act.

It then in a short moment, his eyes widened a bit in realization.

"Wait, are you saying...I'm an astral projection?" Takeshi asked with surprised tone.

 **[Close, but no.]**

Hearing that answer, Takeshi frowned as he tried to figure out what else this man is trying to say.

'He knows about me...Last thing I did was bring out my Sacred Gear...And I'm still at home, yet I am here...' Takeshi summarized, before he blinked upon realization upon something else.

"I'm inside my psyche or mind?" Takeshi asked in surprise. Finally, the man gave out a hearty laugh.

 **[Bwa ha ha ha ha! You figured it out boy! I have to commend you for figuring it out in such a short amount of time! Granted, the answers were close, but that's not the point!]** the man said as he jumped from the higher platform and onto the same floor as Takeshi, making Takeshi take a step back in surprise.

 **[No need to be alarmed boy! I am here with no intention of harming you! Far from it!** **]** the man said with a confident and reassuring tone. Takeshi blinked at the man's words, and he simply tilted his head at the man.

Here he was, in his inner mind, which had a Chinese design for some reason, and talking to some man who has no intentions of harming him.

That just leads to one important question.

"...Who exactly are you?" Takeshi asked once more. The man noticed his question and have a strong "hmph" as he gave a strong stance of authority and power.

 **[Who am I? Well boy, allow me to introduce myself! I am** **Duan Jingzhu, the Golden Haired Hound! One of the 108 Spirits! Ranked as the 108th Spirit, and 72th of the Earthly Fiends!]** the man, now known as Duan, proudly introduced himself to Takeshi.

Silence passed between both Takeshi and Jingzhu, with Takeshi looking at the man with an owlish expression. After staring at the man for a short moment, Takeshi tilted his head.

"...I'm sorry, who?" Takeshi couldn't help but ask with a clueless tone.

He couldn't be the one to be blamed here. Even though he has lots of knowledge about things, there are a few things he doesn't know. Anything educational, practical, and magical is something he immedeatly memorizes with his mental power. However, anything that is folk tale, fairy tale, religion, and mythology is something he puts on the side. And when he does read them, he doesn't use his powers and simply reads the books like any other person. Simple because he enjoys the tales and stories behind them.

His mind is coming up with blanks about this man named Duan Jingzhu, so he didn't really know this guy, both real life and knowledge.

The man slightly choked on his on spit and flinched upon not being recognized. Jingzhu stared at him with disbelief.

 **[...Oi, did you even read Water** **Margin?]** Jingzhu asked incredulously.

Takeshi's mind ran through each and every book he read, and confirmed it with a shake of his head. The man sighed as he rubbed his temples.

 **[...Well that just killed my grand introduction.]** Jingzhu said with disappointment, before he shook his head.

 **[Kids these days. Their parents should educate them more on literature rather what is happening today.]** Jingzhu said.

"Well, my late father did get me a lot of books to read, so I hope that counts." Takeshi said, trying to make the man feel better.

 **[I suppose...But still, you need to read Water Margin boy. It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China, and our story is the best of the best!]** Jingzhu boasted.

"But I thought it was Journey to the West." Takeshi spoke up, making the man look annoyed upon the comment.

 **[Oh yeah, Sun Wukong and his journey. That monkey sure gets a lot of attention, while 108 heroes doesn't cut it for the rest of the people. Stingy monkey.]** Jingzhu grumbled.

"Well, if it will make you feel better Duan-san, I think I'll read Water Margin. It sounds like an interesting book for me to read." Takeshi said, trying to make the man feel better. It seems to have worked, as the man have a pleased hum and nod.

 **[Be sure that you do so. Oh, and just call me Jingzhu. I'm not the one for etiquette.]** Jingzhu said while waving off the honorfic given to him.

"Then if you don't mind, can you explain to me why I'm here Jingzhu? Particularly in this location and why you're meeting with me?" Takeshi asked, as he was strangely confused to see a man in his subconscious.

 **[Ah, right. I'll explain it simply to you boy. When you summoned your Sacred Gear, you have managed to establish a link between you and me. And with the link established, I immedeatly brought you here so we can meet face to face.]** Jingzhu explained.

"Wait, so...you're the spirit of my Sacred Gear?" Takeshi asked in surprise. Information about the Sacred Gear told him that some Sacred Gears contain spirits to serve as a power source or catalyst for the Sacred Gear to function and perform unique abilities.

 **[Indeed.]**

"W-Wow, I never thought I'd meet my Sacred Gear spirit, let alone have one." Takeshi said with an astonished tone.

 **[Well you do now boy.]** Jingzhu said with a smirk.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Takeshi Fuyushima, your current host. It's an honor to have you by my side." Takeshi said with a polite bow.

 **[Hey hey, I said enough with the etiquette. Anyways, I suppose I can't call you boy anymore since I know now your name.]** Jingzhu said.

'A proud yet humble nature. Likes to be respected, but not too much respect.' Takeshi noted to himself, seeing the complex personality of the man. Seeing how to approach him, he decided to ask a few questions.

"Well, if you don't mind Jingzhu, do you mind introducing more of yourself? All I do know about you is that you come from a Chinese Literature called Water Margin." Takeshi asked.

 **[Ah, finally interested in learning more about me, eh? Very well then, I shall tell you the wonderful tale of the Golden Hound!]** Jingzhu said as he clicked his fingers, causing Chinese table to appear between them, as well as a chair for the both of them. Seeing a place to sit, both Takeshi and Jingzhu settled themselves while tea flashed before them.

 **[Where shall I begin? Ah yes, I believe my background shall help you with understanding the Sacred Gear you old. If you read Water Margin,** **I was infamously known for being a notorious horse thief. I once stole 200 finely bred horses and managed to tame a Jade Lion]** Jingzhu said with a proud tone.

"But stealing is wrong." Takeshi pointed out with a frown. Jingzhu simply shrugged.

 **[Even some heroes don't start out of just actions. Anyways, I was going to offer the 200 horse and Jade Lion to Chao Gai, the chief of outlaws at Liangshan Marsh. But then that lousy bastard known as** **Yu Baosi and his men took it away from me and Zeng family.]** Juan said while looking a bit miffed by the mention of Baosi.

"I'm...sorry to hear that?" Takeshi said, unsure what to say or feel in this cause, as they're both thieves.

 **[Meh, they all got it coming later, and I had my 200 horses returned to me. Except for my precious Jade Lion. Stingy little bastards.]** Jingzhu muttered. **  
**

"Um..."

 **[Oh right, my story. Well anyways, I believe things got complicated as I was sent by Song Jiang and to Chao Gai. Understandbly, the man was furious and we waged war against the Zengs. We won at the end, but we met some unfortunate losses. It was then I became a scout leader of the Liangshan, and fought in a wondrous battle. It was unfortunate how I met my end. Honestly, I died by being swept down the river and out into the ocean thanks to some damn wind. I swear** **Fei Lian had a hand in this...]**

"Fei Lian? Isn't that the Chinese Wind God?" Takeshi asked.

 **[Yes. He's a rather troublesome God. Anyways, my journey unfortunately ended there. But little did the people and story know that my soul didn't go to Diyu to work off the bad karma I had. Instead, the Biblical God intervened.]**

"Wait...the Biblical God himself acted in this?" Takeshi asked in surprise and shock, hearing a powerful figure in Christian mythology having a hand in this.

 **[He certainly did.]  
**

"But why?" Takeshi couldn't help but ask curiously. Jingzhu simply shrugged.

 **[Who knows? Besides, this isn't the first time he put other mythological entities into Sacred Gears. I mean, he done it to a few dragons, and I believe that a Regulus lion was involved as well.]**

"Wow..." Takeshi quietly said.

 **[Anyways, it seems the Biblical God has taken interest in my soul and has managed to steer my soul into a Sacred Gear. And that Sacred Gear is none other than my prized horsewhip, the very one you summoned.]** Jingzhu explained to him, making Takeshi's eyes widened a bit.

"So your horse whip is..."

 **[Correct. Originally, it was a horse whip, but my soul was put into it. By doing so,** **my own soul served as a powerful catalyst in transforming it.]** Jingzhu explained, making Takeshi look surprised upon learning more about this.

"Your own soul was that strong?" Takeshi asked. Jingzhu proudly nodded.

 **[Of course! Before I was born a hero, I was originally a Chinese Demonic Overlord. Even after that, I was reborn as a hero. So my soul was strong to give my own whip its own unique functions.]**

"Amazing..." Takeshi said as he sipped his tea, and decided to ask his question.

"So...what does my Sacred Gear do exactly?" Takeshi asked.

 **[Hm?]**

"I mean...I know your backstory and all, but I'm a bit lost to know how my Sacred Gear works." Takeshi pointed out. It was a Chinese Horse Whip powered by Jingzhu himself, but he honestly has no clue what it does.

 **[I see...Well, allow me to answer your question simply Takeshi. You now have the power to summon horses from any legend, mythology, and even from historical events themselves.]** Jingzhu answered, making Takeshi owlishly upon hearing this.

"I can...summon horses?" Takeshi asked with a boggled tone.

He honestly can't be blamed, as he is told that he now has the power to summon legendary horses to his bidding. This type of power was so unexpected and strange, that Takeshi needed a moment to even comprehend such a power exists. Jingzhu saw this and merely huffed.

 **[And what is wrong with horses boy? Do you underestimate them or write them off?]** Jingzhu asked while crossing his arms.

"I-It's not like that at all! I'm just really taken aback upon this rather unorthodox power." Takeshi responded.

 **[Hmph. Really, the people of this generation see little value in the power of the horse. Most of these days, they focus on nothing but dragons. Well let me tell you boy, dragons are nothing more than over glorified lizards who spent a bit too much time in the spotlight. Horses are the true powerful breed that man admire.]**

"I-I'll take your word for it." Takeshi said, seeing the passion from Jingzhu, and decided not to say anything that will offend him.

 **[Good. Now then, I believe we've talked long enough. I can practically hear your female companion trying to wake you up.]**

"Wha-?"

Before he could say anything else, he felt himself blacking out and losing sighed of Jingzhu in front of him.

* * *

 **(Reality)**

"Takeshi! Takeshi, wake up!" Erika exclaimed as she shook up, and received a response from him.

"Urrghhh...Dad, give me five more minutes...keep my Dobu-Jiru warm until then..." Takeshi quietly groaned as he rolled around a bit.

"Takeshi!" Erika spoke up louder this time.

"Ah! I'm up, I'm up!" Takeshi rose out of his bed frantically, his mind a bit dazed as he forced himself out of his sleep-like state. When he opened his eyes, his vision was a bit blurry. Rubbing his eyes, his vision soon cleared and looked around.

He found himself inside his room once more, and he was on his bed. Looking to his left, he saw Erika sitting next to him.

"About time you woke up." Erika told him with a raised eyebrow.

"Erika? What happened?" Takeshi asked, a bit confused what is going on here.

"I should be asking you that question. You just passed out when you took out your Sacred Gear." Erika told him.

"Really?" Takeshi responded, before he remembered the past events of what just happened. His eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, right! I remember now!" Takeshi said in realization.

 **[Well I hope so. I didn't want you to forget about me.]** spoke up a familiar voice, making Takeshi blink upon hearing a voice in his head.

"Jingzhu?"

 **[Well I hope so. There is only one of me after all.]**

"Who?" Erika questioned at the name.

"Long story." Takeshi told her, before he got out of his bed. "Hold on, I want to try something real quickly."

With that, Takeshi made his way out of his bedroom and made his way to the basement of his house. He didn't really answer any of Erika's questions on the way down. Once he made his way to the center of the basement, he deeply inhaled and exhaled. Erika, on the other hand, looked a bit annoyed that Takeshi is ignoring her.

"Hey, can you at least tell me what you're attempting to even do?" Erika told him. Hearing her question, Takeshi gave a sheepish grin.

"Sorry Erika-san. I got a bit excited with something." Takeshi aplogized, making Erika huff at him as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I've noticed. So what's this all about?" Erika asked.

It was then Takeshi explained what happened to him after he brought out his Sacred Gear, including his interactions with Jingzhu and what the spirit is in his Sacred Gear. By the time he finished explaining about the story, Erika gave a raised eyebrow.

"...Really? And this Sacred Gear of yours just..." Erika tried to put it into words.

"Summon horses, I know." Takeshi said while scratching the back of his head. "Believe me, I was taken aback by the Sacred Gear's power as well. But considering that this is my Sacred Gear, I suppose I might as well make use out of it." Takeshi said, before he looked at his hand.

Focusing on bringing it out, the Sacred Gear came to him with ease rather than the first time.

 **[Alright boy, are you ready?]**

'Ready. So what should I do?'

 **[Imagine a horse from any legend, history, or mythology. Once you visualized it, whip down the Whip of the King of Horses and the rest of the Sacred Gear will take care of it.]**

Following his instructions, Takeshi closed his eyes and went through his mind to bring out a particular horse he has in mind.

'Imagine...Imagine...got it.' Takeshi told himself after a short amount of thinking.

 **[That was quite fast. And here I thought I had to help you on this one.]** Jingzhu said with an amused tone.

'You're talking to someone who spent a lot of time reading books. I know a good amount of horses!' Takeshi said as he raised his whip, preparing to use it.

 **[Ha ha, then let's see what you have in mind boy!]**

With those given words, Takeshi whipped down his Sacred Gear. Once he did, a bright flash appeared before his eyes, making him and Erika shield their eyes. Once the flash died down, Takeshi lowered his his arm and looked at what he managed to get from his results.

It is a massive creature with a massive head. It has black coat with a large white star on its brow. It also has a "wall eye", meaning that it has blue eyes.

"...Wow...!" Takeshi said in awe as he got closer to the horse he summoned.

"...Huh. Not that I expected." Erika commented as she got closer to the horse as well and looked around it.

 **[Well well, I didn't expect this horse to be brought forth.]**

"So...what is this horse anyway Takehsi?" Erika asked while stroking the horses mane.

"Well Erika, allow me to introduce to you Bucephalus, the very horse used by Alexander the Great." Takeshi told her, making Erika blink upon the name.

"You got that horse out of all things? You sure studied up your history." Erika commented.

"Seems like you know as well." Takeshi pointed out.

"Well yeah. Alexander the Great certainly cemented his mark in history, being the son of Zeus and all." Erika commented casually.

"Wait, that legend is actually real?" Takeshi asked in surprise.

"What, you didn't know?"

"The fact that Alexander is the son of Zeus is kind of abstract according to legends and history books, so I wasn't really sure."

"Hm. Well, you better start believing in a lot of legends rather than the realistic view that you humans tend to have."

"I'll keep that in mind." Takeshi said, before he looked at the horse before him. He got in front of the horse and gave a friendly wave.

"Hey there!" Takeshi greeted the horse. Considering that he brought this horse from history, he should consider giving it a friendly welcome.

"..."

Takeshi raised an eyebrow at the silent response, and looked a bit concerned.

"Um...Hello?" Takeshi tried to greet it once more.

"..."

'...Did I do something wrong?' Takeshi asked himself.

 **[No. You didn't do anything wrong Takeshi.]**

'I didn't? Then why isn't it...?'

 **[** **The horse you see before you isn't the real and actual Bucephalus. The one with you right now is merely an imitation to the real thing. It possess the same abilities and power to the real one, but it lacks a personality or will. This horse you see before you simply obeys your every command like a puppet or tool.]**

'Oh...' Takeshi thought. 'Well...that's kind of a downer. I was kind of hoping to interact with the real horse and its personality.'

 **[This Sacred Gear doesn't exactly bring back the dead or bring the actual horse here against its own will. I don't think the Biblical God will like that kind of function.]**

'Good point.' Takeshi thought, slightly grimacing at the thought of stealing somebody's horse right in front of them and use it for his own needs.

It sounded wrong and selfish.

'Well...I can be fine with that then. I don't feel comfortable stealing someone's horse.'

 **[Hmph. You fail to see the appreciation of the art of stealing horses like I do.]**

'Sorry, but I don't want to be a robber.' Takeshi responded, before he focused on the horse before him. Seeing the saddle, Takeshi had to climb his way up onto the horse. It was quite large, half of his body only reaching up to the horses body and not the head itself.

"...Yosh!" Takeshi gave a slight grunt as he managed to sit on the saddle of the horse.

"So Takehsi, how does it feel to ride the horse of a king? You ready to conquer this land?" Erika asked with a sly tone.

"Nah, I'm pretty content with ruling my home." Takeshi said with a chuckle.

"Spoilsport."

Takeshi simply shrugged at her as he grabbed the reins of the horse, though he looked unsure.

"I need to read up a book on how to ride a horse..." Takeshi quietly told himself. Looking at the reigns, he gave off a confused and unsure look.

"So...in the movies, I think they did this to..." Takeshi said as he tugged the rein in a certain angle.

The moment he did, he was caught off guard when the horse gave a loud neigh as it stood on its hind legs while aggressively moving around its front legs.

"Wah!" Takeshi gave off a surprised cry, before he found himself falling off the horse and landing right onto the ground.

"Oof!" Takeshi gave out a slight cry of pain as he landed on his back.

"Ow..." Takeshi groaned while on the floor, while Bucephalus landed right back onto the ground and stood still like it did before. Erika, on the other hand, just watched the spectacle with a raised eyebrow.

"...Yep. This is going to take a while." Erika commented.

 **[...Oh sweet Buddha, this might take a while.]** Jingzhu said while sighing.

"I think so too..." Takeshi groaned a bit in pain.

Never expect a Magician to master the art of horse riding in a short amount of time.

* * *

 **(Abilities/Equipment Update)**

 **Equipment #2 -** **Whip of the King of Horses (馬王鞭 - Mǎ wáng biān) - This is Takeshi's Sacred Gear. Whip of the King of Horses is the very horse whip used by Duan Jingzhu, 108th hero/spirit of the 108 Spirits, which respectively belong to the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature, Water Margin. This particular whip is quite special thanks to Jingzhu's own soul and the Sacred Gear system.**

 **The function of this is that it can summon legendary and famous horses from mythology, legend, religion, and history. However, when they're summoned, they are nothing more than imitations to the real thing. They possess the same power to the original, but the imitations lack personality and will. They're merely constructs to copy the horses of said mythology.  
**

* * *

 **That's a wrap to this chapter.**

 **For better visualization of Jingzhu, his appearance is based off of Roshi from Naruto. As for designing his character, I imagine him as a proud character, taking pride for his abilities, legend, and status. Even though likes to be recognized, he doesn't like being treated like some noble or receiving "kiss up" from people. That's what I imagine him as.**

 **Alright, so I know a lot of you see that Takeshi's Sacred Gear function is quite...strange and unorthodox, and I can practically hear you guys saying why horses out of all things. Well, all I should say is that when you look at the legends and myths behind a few horses, they can be quite powerful in their own rights. Especially since I'm going to use a few mythological horses from some games I know.**

* * *

 **(The Story Behind The Sacred Gear)**

 **There is an interesting story behind this whole Sacred Gear that I've created.**

 **You see, during the prototype stages of creating this fanfic, I was originally set on choosing a Sacred Gear that c** **rafts magical guns, sort of like Kiba's Sacred Gear. This was influenced from watching SAO's Gun Gale Online arc, as well as playing a few gun games with my friends. The original title for this fanfic was going the be called the Divine Magical Gunslinger.**

 **However, after reading a few DxD OC fanfics, I've noticed that most of the time, most OC has some sort of Sacred Gear Spirit to talk to or someone to guide them. I've decided to join this little bandwagon as well and got to work. I had a particularly hard time choosing a spirit related to magical craft and guns, but it was particularly difficult in doing so.**

 **During the search, it was a sudden moment of realization to me that I needed something to make my OC stand out from the rest. I needed to create a Sacred Gear so unorthodox that people will easily recognize it and not confuse it with the rest.**

 **The first step is finding the appropriate spirit. I needed to find a spirit that fits with the theme of the Sacred Gear I'm creating. The spirit I was looking for is a spirit that isn't a Dragon (the most common and generic), Biblical Deities (e.g. the original Maous, High Ranked Angels, or biblical beasts themselves), or other legendary beasts (e.g. Regulus). I needed a spirit so overlooked or unknown most to all.  
**

 **My searches eventually took me to the** **Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature. After all, that is where Sun Wukong and other popular characters were constantly used and referenced.  
**

 **I came across Water Margin. I'll admit, I kind of put it last on my list because the title bored me. But after looking into it and found a interesting title of 108 Spirits, I found what I was looking for. The 108 Spirits were all so interesting and each one was unique for me to choose, especially with their titles and backgrounds. I had a tough time choosing, but I told myself choose a spirit that makes it stand out from the rest.  
**

 **Introducing Duan Jingzu, 108th ranked hero of the 108 Spirits and 72th ranked of the Earthly Fiends. When I looked into him, I was interested in his little story and his occupation as a horse thief. I told myself that while he is good, he wouldn't do so good for a spirit of magical crafting guns.**

 **I told myself the only thing he is good for is his horses.**

 **It was at that moment that I realized something truly brilliant from my mental statement, and I immediately found myself typing up the idea behind it. The idea was so unorthodox and rarely used, that it very well worked.**

 **I created a Sacred Gear that summons horses from history, myths, and legends. And it was so surprising, seeing how I paired it up with a Magician of all things. And it was a brilliant and new style to add. A Magician fighting calvary style.**

 **It was then I asked myself how far these two Sacred Gears could go. After some careful thinking and comparing, I saw that the gun craft won't really be able to take Takeshi that far, but the horses on the other hand speak a different story. And I absolutely loved the idea.  
**

 **Thus, I've decided to use** **Whip of the King of Horses as Takeshi's Sacred Gear. There's a reason why the story is called the Divine Magical Rider.  
**

 **I'm sorry if my story took up a good chunk of the author notes, but I just wanted to share it with you guys.**

* * *

 **(Lubbock and Lisbeth)**

 **I've planned this out quite well actually, and it was my intention to put in Lubbock and Lisbeth since I've planned this story.**

 **Also, if you guys couldn't figure it out already, Lubbock is from Akame Ga Kill while Lisbeth is from Sword Art Online.**

 **Lubbock plays an interesting role that helps Takeshi in certain ways. Plus, I wanted a male friend that Takeshi has, rather than having the lone male that is only able to befriend females. What's up with that anyways?**

 **Lisbeth is just a minor character in the story. She won't play much of a major role to say, but she'll have her moments in the story.**

* * *

 **Read and Review!**


	6. The Teacher

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other elements in this story.**

 **Hey guys, back with another new chapter.**

 **I'm honestly happy that you guys accepted the Sacred Gear that I created. Truth be told, I was a bit anxious about the feedback on it. But seeing all the positive responses really brightened up my day. Thanks.**

 **Anyways, I'm sure you're here for the chapter. And happy 4th of July!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Teacher**

At this point, he shouldn't be surprised when he kept finding himself in the usual situation: facing the ceiling, back on the floor, vision a bit disoriented, and the familiar back pain.

Takeshi gave a slight grunt as picked himself up from the ground and sat upright, and proceeded to rub his back to massage the pain away. He looked up at the horse he summoned through his Sacred Gear, simply standing still, waiting to be commanded.

Out of all styles that he had to add into his own power set, he didn't expect himself to learn horse back riding of all things, especially when he's a Magician. It would've worked out if he was a swordsman, since a knight and his horse form the perfect combination. But for a Magician like him to be paired up with a horse of all things.

It was a very strange power for him to have, but Jingzhu kept on insisting that the power of the horse is something powerful to be used in the hands of man. Takeshi wanted to stay open minded to the concept, but he kept on wondering to himself how exactly that would work.

And to be honest, Takeshi honestly didn't have anything else to practice with other than his Enchanter Magic. So beggars can't be choosers.

So with his newly founded powers, he was now practicing to utilize it. But the most important part is learning the basics of riding a horse before he can truly utilize its powers as Jingzhu keeps on telling him. And learning the basics of horseback riding can't be learned within a day.

He didn't summon Bucephalus, seeing how he needs to know the basics of horseback riding before riding the powerful horse. So he used the Whip of the King of horses to summon a beginner type horse for his level. And the horse he summoned is an American Quarter Horse, perfect for beginners.

This time, the horse isn't as difficult to control compared to his last horse. Granted, all horses he will summon have no will or personality, but it still requires a certain mastery and skill in order to truly ride them. So it's easy to command a horse, but the problem on how to ride them is truly the case.

Erika saw this and decided to set up a new training schedule. Seeing that horseback riding is considered a beneficial exercise, she decided that this style of training is more beneficial for his powers and his physical state. Plus, she went to buy a helmet and shoulder gear to help protect him from injury. It helped, but his back constantly ached whenever he fell off of his horse.

Which leads up to now, with Takeshi on the floor as he tried practicing on how to dismount from his horse. It didn't result so well with Takeshi falling off of it once more.

"C'mon Takeshi. You need to put more focus and balance on your body center. Simple physics here." Erika told him while looking down at him with an amused look.

"I-It's easier said than done..." Takeshi said while rubbing his back. "Know I understand why applying the research is a lot more taxing than studying the research itself. It's a lot more energy consuming" Takeshi muttered, before he rose back up to his feet. He slightly groaned as he rubbed his back to soothe the pain.

"If we could immediately put research into action, the whole world would become an easier place. But this is reality we live in, so we all can't live an easy life." Erika said with a shrug.

"I'll say..." Takeshi said as he looked at the horse near him.

"Geez, you'd think I get the basics on how to ride a horse for the past week. But it's a lot harder than it is. Guess it shows that horseback rising isn't as easy as they make it on television and novels. Oh well, I guess practice makes perfect." Takeshi said while scratching the back of his head while sighing. He then nodded to himself.

"Alright, let's give this another shot." Takeshi said as he attempted to climb on the horse once more, but Erika placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Woah there, I think you've had enough. You've been going at it for two hours straight. While I do support your energy and attention in physical improvement, it wouldn't really help if you push yourself too hard." Erika told him, making Takeshi sweatdrop upon the fact that Erika pushes him to his utmost limits.

"So why won't we stop for now and get some grub to eat? Cause I'm starvin." Erika told him.

"Oh, you're hungry? Well, ok then. Let me just get cleaned up and..." Takeshi said, but Erika placed on her hand on his chest to stop him from moving any further.

"Hey, let me finish." Erika told him with a slightly flat look. "While I do appreciate your cooking, I feel like getting some fresh air. I've been stuck in your home for a couple weeks, and I think I'm starting to get claustrophobic. This Fallen Angel needs to spread her wings!" Erika said, and gestured to her two black wings behind her.

Takeshi blinked upon hearing Erika's request, and he then noticed that Erika was right. She has been stuck in his home for quite a while now in order to stay hidden. And being stuck in the same place might drive a person crazy. So seeing her predicament, Takeshi nodded at her.

"...Well alright then. I'm sure it won't hurt if we go out for a short while." Takeshi agreed to her request, before he gave a thoughtful look. "But first, we need you to stay as inconspicuous as possible for you not to gain attention..."

* * *

 **(Sushi Restaurant)**

"So this is where you usually like to eat?" Erika asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked at the sushi restaurant in front of her. She currently wore a forest green hoodie and jeans while wearing shades in order to hide her face and hair.

Takeshi nodded at her, as he changed into a black shirt and a short red jacket and jeans.

"Yeah. This is my favorite restaurant to come to. I've eaten here ever since I was a kid." Takeshi told her.

"Hm, now you piqued my curiosity." Erika said with interest, before she gestured him to lead the way. "Well, lead the way my good and noble guide." Erika said with a joking tone.

"Of course madam." Takeshi said while giving an exaggerated bow. He chuckled as he didn't mind a slight whap on the head from Erika, while Erika herself was slightly exasperated from his actions, but found it amusing nonetheless.

He then proceeded to open the door and lead her into the restaurant. As he did, he was greeted with a familiar friend of his.

"Welcome!" Asuka immediately greeted the incoming customers, and blinked in surprise upon seeing who this is. She immediately smiled.

"Oh, Takeshi-kun!" Asuka greeted as he entered into the restaurant.

"Hey Asuka-chan!" Takeshi greeted as he walked towards the sushi bar.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? I haven't seen you in a couple of weeks." Asuka pointed out, making Takeshi chuckle at her.

"Heh heh, well, what can I say? I've been real busy in recent events." Takeshi answered.

"Oh, I know the feeling too well. Sometimes my job is quite time consuming as well." Asuka said while nodding in understanding. It was then she noticed Erika behind Takeshi.

"Oh, is this a friend of yours?" Asuka asked curiously.

"Oh, right. I haven't introduced you to Erika-san." Takeshi said, and he gestured her that it's okay to take off the hoodie and shades. Receiving the gesture, Erika took off her hoodie and shades.

"Asuka-chan, meet Erika-san. She's a friend of mine who recently settled into town. Erika-san, meet Asuka-chan. She's a good friend who I often meet here while I want to eat some awesome sushi." Takeshi introduced the two. Asuka simply smiled at her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you! A friend of Takeshi-kun is a friend of mine. Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable." Asuka said while gesturing to the two available seats of the sushi bar.

The two did so and settled themselves. As they did, Erika gave a small smirk towards Takeshi.

"So, Asuka-chan, eh? Didn't know that she was that close to you." Erika said with a teasing tone. Takeshi simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, we met each other as younger kids, so naturally, we call each other affectionate honorfics." Takeshi said while it was like the sky was blue.

"Aw, I thought I would get a rise out of you for that." Erika said with slight disappointment

"Eh?"

"Nothing." Erika dismissed before she looked at the menu. "So what do you usually order?"

"I order their special. Oh, you should order that! It'll make a very good first meal here." Takeshi suggested.

"With your enthusiasm and eagerness for the sushi, I might as well see how it lives up to reputation." Erika said with an amused smile.

"Well alright then. Two of your specials please!" Takeshi ordered.

"Coming right up! Jii-chan, we have two orders of the special!" Asuka called out to her grandfather.

"Got it! Two specials, coming right up!" Hanzo responded from the other side of the sushi bar, and then noticed Takeshi sitting there. "Ah, Takeshi-kun! I didn't notice you arrived. My mind has been drawn to the other customers."

"No worries Hanzo-san, you're just doing your job." Takeshi easily waved off.

"Hm." Hanzo simply nodded, before he noticed Erika sitting next to Takeshi. If one looked real closely, his eyes gleamed a bit upon the sight of her, but it soon returned to normal as he gave the girl the same look as before.

"Oh, I've never seen you here before. Are you perhaps new to this area?" Hanzo asked.

"Yep, I just happened to swing by and stay for a while. See the sights and all." Erika responded.

"I see..." Hanzo while stroking his beard. "Well then, I hope you enjoy your stay here. This town does get some exciting events from time to time." Hanzo said before turning back to focus on making the sushi.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out for that." Erika responded with a small smile, before she turned back to look at Asuka. It was very brief for a moment, but her eyes seems to have slightly narrowed while her mouth frowned a bit upon the sight of Erika. But it went unnoticed by everyone.

It was a short moment of waiting that Asuka came to the two with the two specials in her hands and handed it to the two. Erika blinked upon the sight of the array of sushi before her.

"Wow...this honestly looks like it's served at some 5-Star Hotel Restaurant." Erika said with an impressed tone.

"Just wait until you taste it." Takeshi said, before he gestured her to eat it. "C'mon, I want to see your reaction to it!"

Erika gave a slight snort of amusement. "All right all right, hold your horses. Foods not going to go anywhere." Erika told him with amusement. Her words caused Takeshi to inwardly cringe upon the mention of horses.

Erika picked up the sushi with her chopsticks and dipped it in soysauce. She then placed the sushi into her mouth and slowly chewed it. A moment of silence occurred as she kept on chewing it. She then proceeded to swallow it, making the food travel down her throat.

"...Damn, this is really good!" Erika said with amazement as she looked at the food with complete surprise.

"I'm glad to hear that!" Asuka responded, pleased to hear the positive response.

"Told you." Takeshi said while chuckling, and then proceeded to focus on his own set of sushi. He moaned in delight as he tasted the sushi in his mouth once more.

"I can see why you love to come to this place. This stuff is good." Erika said as she placed another sushi in her mouth.

"Thank you." Asuka said with a smile, before she turned to Takeshi with a curious expression.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen you here for a while. I guess you've been busy lately?" Asuka guessed. Takeshi chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"I guess you could say that. One thing popped up one after another." Takeshi said while thinking about recent events with Kiyome and the Fallen Angels.

"Oh I understand completely." Asuka said while nodding in understanding.

"Seems I'm not the only one." Takeshi said while chuckling.

The three then went into a small chat as they ate their meals. By the time they were finished with their meal, so was their talk. So Takeshi paid for the food and they made their way out of the restaurant.

"Ah, I'll never get tired of their food." Takeshi sighted in content as he and Erika walked together alone.

"I'll say. I might come here for to have a bit when I have the time." Erika said, before she looked straight ahead and gave a slight frown. She then turned to Takeshi.

"Hey, Takeshi. Did you notice anything...odd about your friend?" Erika asked, making Takeshi look at her with a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Takeshi asked, a bit confused on where she went with that question.

"I don't know...something that makes your friend stand out?" Erika suggested.

Takeshi furrowed his eyebrows while thinking back on Asuka. Nothing about her seems strange. She acted completely normal, and doesn't usually stand out. But considering that Erika is suggesting this, he made him a bit curious on what Erika is thinking about Asuka.

"Why? Is there something about her that I should know?" Takeshi asked.

Erika gazed at him for a few moments, before she gave a light sigh as she looked straight ahead.

"It's just my imagination is all. You shouldn't worry too much about it." Erika said while digressing from the topic.

"Well...okay, if you say so." Takeshi said with an unsure tone. But he still wondered what on earth made Erika act so strange about Erika.

He decided he'll think about it later.

* * *

 **(Bedroom)**

Takeshi sat in front of his desk while he was busy drawing something on a piece of paper. He hummed as he took the pencil off of it and picked up the paper to take a good look at what he drawed.

"...Not bad." Takeshi muttered to himself, before he yawned and stretched his body. He looked at the clock, and it was 11:30. Seeing the time, he got up from his chair.

"I guess it's time to get some rest." Takeshi said as he made his way onto his bed and into the blanket. Setting his head onto the pillow, he know looked up at the ceiling. As he did, he grew a contemplative look as he reflected on a few things.

Mainly his skills as a Magician.

Looking at his progress, it seems that he is progressing with his newfound power over horses. But that somehow made Takeshi a bit uncomfortable with it. Don't get him wrong, it's not that he's against the idea of using horses. Far from it. He is rather glad to have a newfound power by his side.

But that wasn't the main issue.

The main issue is his own magical power. He lived with this problem the moment he started his Magician training. His own magical abilities, as stated before, pales in comparison to even the most average of Magicians. Sure, he could pull of Enchanter Magic, but that's it. He spent many years on his own trying to figure out any other types of magic compatible with him, but they all ended up in failure.

'...With the way things are going, my progress as a Magician isn't going as far.' Takeshi thought to himself and softly frowned. 'Dad told me that first generation Magicians aren't always successful in their endeavors, and have harder time than later generations. With me being a first generation, I guess this is the kinds of cons I have to live with. Still...'

Like Erika told him, there are different ways to get stronger and improve yourself. His Sacred Gear didn't count, so he needed to consider different options about learning magic. Perhaps approach it in a different way.

 **[Thinking about a lot of things when trying to rest? I'm no doctor, but even I know that isn't healthy]** Jingzhu commented.

'Oh, Jingzhu. Couldn't sleep?' Takeshi asked.

 **[I'm a spirit. I do not need sleep. Sleeping is more of a luxury.]**

'Ah, I see.'

 **[Something on your mind?]**

'Just thinking about my progress as a Magician.' Takeshi answered.

 **[Ah yes, you have a rather difficult task ahead of you...]** Jingzhu said, already knowing Takeshi's predicament with magic.

'Ha ha, yeah. With me being a first generation Magician, I guess I'm bound to run into my own limitations.' Takeshi slightly chuckled at his own flaws.

 **[Well, you have the power of the horses by your side. That should certainly add to your power list.]**

'Yes, that as well. But still...my own powers as a Magician is mediocre, to the point where I can only be designated as a rookie Enchanter. I need something more to add to my magical repertoire.'

 **[Hm...I see...so you're feeling frustrated with the lack of progress you made?]**

'I wouldn't exactly say frustrated...more like slightly dishearten by all of this.'

 **[Well Takeshi, I believe there is a a Chinese saying that with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown. Do you honestly expect to gain power in such a short amount of time? That is nothing but pure arrogance and impatience there.]**

Takeshi winced upon that statement, and gained a worried look on his face.

'A-Am I becoming arrogant like that?' Takeshi asked with worry.

A short moment of silence passed between the two, before Jingzhu simply sighed.

 **[...No. Takeshi, you couldn't become haughty, even if the Emperor of China offered you an entire providence.]**

'I-I don't know what I could even do with that kind of power and land. Perhaps work on a way to benefit everyone in the area while I return back to my normal life.'

 **[See? You aren't arrogant with that line of thinking. What you are feeling right now is discouragement at your development. That is quite natural to all humans.]**

'True...' Takeshi remarked.

 **[Besides, you are but a young boy. You need time to grow. You have plenty ahead of you.]**

Takeshi gave a small smile upon hearing this.

'You know, for a horse thief you are quite philosophical.'

 **[When you're stuck in a Sacred Gear for hundreds of years, you tend to think a lot.]**

'Ha ha ha, true. Thanks Jingzhu.'

 **[Hm hm, it's what I merely do. You are, after all, the first to host my whip. It wouldn't do me any good if I made my host look bad.]**

Takeshi merely chuckled at the statement. He sighed as he relaxed into his bed.

'I guess with the way things are going now, I just need to take a few baby steps if I want to go forward.' Takeshi thought. He closed his eyes and was about to go to sleep.

That is, until his ears picked up thudding noises in his room. Sitting up, he turned to see his car Blair meowing on his desk while his backpack fell onto the floor, and textbooks flooded out of it.

Seeing this, Takeshi sighed as he got out of bed and went to clean up his stuff.

"Blair-chan...now I have to clean it up." Takeshi softly complained to his cat, and received only a soft meow from her as she curled herself up. Takeshi shook his head with a smile as he kneeled down to clean up his books.

As he cleaned up and put stuff back into his bag, he then noticed a slip of paper sticking out his bag. Blinking at the paper, he reached towards it and grabbed it. He then looked at the paper, and he blinked in surprise upon what he saw.

'...A Sitri Contract Seal?'

* * *

 **(Basement** **)**

The next day, both Takeshi and Erika were standing in front of each other with different expressions. Erika folded her arms and raised an eyebrow upon what she just heard, while Takeshi had a small look of resolution on his face.

"You want to summon a Devil to help you with your magic?" Erika repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Takeshi simply nodded at her.

A brief moment of silence passed between them before Erika decided to speak up.

"...Why?" Erika asked with a raised eyebrow, looking rather curious about this. Takeshi went into a thoughtful look for a moment before he decided to answer.

"...I've thought about it for a while Erika-san, and I've considered the progress of my magic. And I've decided to approach this is another different way." Takeshi answered, before he continued.

"Erika-san, you and I mostly focus on my physical aspects, especially with my Sacred Gear. You've tried to help with my magical aspect, but we've met dead ends along the way." Takeshi explained

Erika agreed on that part. No matter what type of method or magic they try, it seems he is incompatible with each one. But her knowledge on magic is very limited, even for a Fallen Angel such as herself.

"I've tried many approaches to magic, tried multiple methods, and even tried some unorthodox means, but it's never enough. However, what if I were to receive outside help? Someone who is quite well versed in magic." Takeshi pointed out, making Erika slam her fist onto her palm in realization.

"...Ah, I see. Seeing how Devils are quite specialized in magic, you seek aid and knowledge from them." Erika pointed out. Takeshi nodded at her.

"Correct. If I summon a Devil through this contract and get them to help me with my Magic, it will help broaden my views on magic and possibly discover something I don't know through them." Takeshi explained.

"Huh, you sure thought this out real well." Erika commented.

"Well, I thought about it the whole night actually..." Takeshi pointed out.

"..." Erika gave him a dry state, before she sighed. "Never mind, I take back what I said."

Takeshi chuckled at that, before he gave off a resolved look. "This is something I need to try Erika. I've got nothing to lose at this point."

The two started at each other silently, before Erika shrugged, much to his surprise.

"Well alright, go for it. I ain't stopping you." Erika said with indifference.

"R-Really?" Takeshi said with a bit of surprise.

"What are you so surprised for? I'm not the one to decide for you. You've been making your own choices up until now, and I've been mostly just training you. Honestly, it's your call whether or not to summon a Devil to help you. In fact, why did you want to consult it with me?" Erika asked with a raised eyebrow. Takeshi scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I just wanted to hear your opinion on this matter. That's all." Takeshi admitted.

"Is that so? Well then, my opinion is telling you to go for it. No harm in it." Erika told him.

"Thanks." Takeshi said with a smile.

* * *

 **(Later)**

After some preparations, Takeshi was now ready to use the Sitri Contract Seal to help him. He had Erika leave the basement and hide herself in a room so a Devil won't discover her. Takeshi took a deep breath as stood in the center of the training room. He looked at the paper in his hand.

"Alright...no turning back now. I've got to move on forward and deal with this." Takeshi muttered to himself, before he furrowed his eyebrows at the seal.

"I wonder how you exactly summon them. Do you just transfer magic or is it something more complex?" Takeshi wondered.

 **[If I remember correctly, Devils act upon desires and greed. My guess is that you have to channel that desire into the paper, and the rest shall do the trick.]**

'Is that so? Well, let's give it a shot.' Takeshi said as he focused on the paper before him. He lets out a small smile.

"...Sorry Dad. But with the way things are going now, I might have to make a deal with the Devil. Wish me luck." Takeshi said before he closed his eyes.

'...My desires...what do I desire...?' Takeshi quietly wondered to himself, before he focused.

'...What I desire...What I need...What I want is someone...someone who is great knowledge in magic. Someone who has great understanding of many things. I need someone...who is perfectly capable of teaching someone like me the ways of magic.' Takeshi thought, channeling his thoughts into the paper.

The paper soon glowed, and a soft blue glow soon appeared on the paper. His slowly opened his eyes to see a magic circle opening before him, and a figure soon started to shimmer and appear within it.

It was then a a short bright flash finished the process, making Takeshi shield himself with his arm to block the light. As the light died down, his ears soon picked up a familiar voice.

"...Fuyushima-kun?" a voice said with surprise.

Takeshi lowered his arm, and his eyes widened on the person he laid his eyes on.

"...Kaichou?" Takeshi said with surprise.

The person before him was indeed Sona, no doubt about it. With her signature glasses, short hair in a bob, and those unique violet eyes, was indeed Sona Sitri.

The two stared at each other in surprise for a brief moment, before Takeshi decided to speak up first as he looked at the Sitri Contract Seal.

"So um...I guess the Sitri Contract applies to everyone in the Peerage...including you." Takeshi said with an astonished tone.

"I do have contracts with other people, but I rarely do so due to the fact that I'm working on other things. But I do find this a surprising development. I honestly didn't expect myself to be summoned by you." Sona said with a bit of a surprised tone.

"I could say the same. I was expecting a Bishop to help me, but this is rather unexpected." Takeshi responded while blinking owlishly. Sona narrowed her eyes a bit in thought as she looked at the paper in his hand.

'This is strange...whenever I am summoned, I am usually brought to them with a very specific desire. Does that mean that he had the specific desire?' Sona thought to herself, before paying attention to Takeshi himself. Seeing the predicament she is in, she decided that she might as well follow through with this contract so she can head back to her Peerage and work on a few things.

Clearing her throat, Sona gave Takeshi a calm look. "Regardless of the situation, I am summoned to you. Therefore, I have to fulfill your desires." Sona stated to him, making Takeshi blink at her once more, before he scratched the back of his head.

"Right, right. That part." Takeshi said, before he cleared his throat. He then gave her a focused look.

"I need your help to guide me in the ways of magic." Takeshi told her, making Sona blink in surprise upon hearing his request.

"Guidance in magic?" Sona repeated.

"Yes. As you already know, my skills as a Magician is sorely lacking. I've been only able to perform Enchanter Magic and nothing else. Not even a basic fireball can be casted." Takeshi explained to her.

"You have indeed explained that to me and the others earlier. And based on your actions on the night with the Fallen Angels, it seems that you do only know Enchanter Magic." Sona said while slowly nodding.

"Yes. But I want to move past that limit. I've spent many years trying to learn what I am doing wrong, or whatever type of magic I am compatible with. So far, everything is a bust. So I've decided that rather than relying on myself to learn more about magic, wouldn't it be better if I received help from someone who is far more experienced in the field of magic?" Takeshi explained, making Sona realize where he is going with.

"So you have decided to have a Devil who has clear knowledge of magic to help you. Was that your desire when you wanted to summon a Devil?" Sona asked. Takeshi nodded.

"Correct. I needed someone who will tutor me, give me advice, and guide me through magic. Considering my position and resources, I've decided this is the option I had to take if I want to progress." Takeshi told her.

Hearing his explanation, Sona stayed silent for a moment as she closed her eyes.

"I see...I now understand why I was summoned here." Sona quietly told herself. She then took a good look at Takeshi as she pushed up her glasses.

"Fuyushima-kun...it seems you have come to the right person for help." Sona told him, making Takeshi's expression brighten.

"Really?"

"Yes. I have a duty to complete a contract in the name of my household. I would see through this to the end." Sona told him, making Takeshi nod at her.

"Right!" Takeshi responded with a determined expression.

* * *

 **(Library)**

Takeshi decided the first step in his training towards magic is to introduce her to the library in order to have a better understanding of his limitations and abilities. As he lead her into the library for the first time, Sona was genuinely surprised to see such a massive room full of books.

"Such a huge room hidden underground...!" Sona quietly said in surprise. Takeshi simply walked into the room with stride.

"So welcome to my own little library. Place is kinda big, so you may get lost for the first time." Takeshi told her as he hummed in thought while looking at the books surrounding him.

"Fuyushima-kun...do you own all of this?" Sona asked while looking at the towering book shelves around her.

"Hm? Oh, well, yeah. I've been making full use out of this ever since I was in middle school." Takeshi said nonchalantly.

"You've studied that early..." Sona commented said as she followed him.

"Well, not really. My dad taught me how to use magic when I was six. Granted, it was just me awakening my powers and learning the basics." Takeshi said as he went to a small desk in the library and shuffled through a few papers. It was from the statement that made Sona blink upon realizing something.

"I don't mean to intrude on personal matters, but...you father taught you, correct? Wouldn't it make things more convenient if you turned to him instead, rather than having to go through the hassle of using a contract?" Sona pointed out. Takeshi simply shrugged.

"Well, I might have. Unfortunately, he passed away a long time ago." Takeshi said with no trouble at all. This made Sona frown upon hearing this.

"I see. I apologize for bringing up such a thing." Sona apologized.

"It's fine. I came to peace with it, and there isn't much I can do about it now. If dad was here, he would tell me to keep moving forward and not worry about so much." Takeshi said with a small fond smile, before he went "ah" as he found what he was looking for.

"Your father seemed like a wise man." Sona remarked.

"Not really. Those words sounds like anyone would say when they want their loved ones to move on. But he sure is an amazing parent." Takeshi said with admiration before he turned to Sona and held out a paper towards her.

"Here." Takeshi said, having Sona take the paper from him.

"What is this?" Sona said while looking at the paper.

"It's a list of magic that I cannot seem to perform." Takeshi answered rather plainly, making Sona look up at him with a sharp look.

"...Are you telling me that throughout this whole list is magic you cannot perform?" Sona questioned. Takeshi simply shrugged as he counted his fingers.

"Well yeah. I've tried fire magic, wind magic, shadow magic, ice magic, nature magic, healing magic, etc. Pretty much a lot of things, but those ended up as dead ends for me." Takeshi explained while shrugging his shoulders. He pretty much got used to his usual failures with multiple types of magics.

Sona fell silent upon hearing this, looked down back at the list, and then back at Takeshi.

"...I want to see how you perform your magic."

* * *

 **(Training Room)**

Sona quietly stood in front of Takeshi, observing the spell he casted. He was currently having an **Electrical Fuzz** orb hover above his hand. The electric orb sparked every once and a while.

"This is quite strange...you are able to perform a lightning spell, but it's categorized under the Enchanter category." Sona said with an observant tone.

"I've noticed that too. The **E** **lectrical Fuzz** spell is a lightning type spell, yet this spell falls under the Enchanter category. I've actually tried other lightning spells outside of the Enchanter category, but it seems to have failed." Takeshi explained.

"Strange..." Sona said while narrowing her eyes.

"I think I saw enough. There is something else I need to see." Sona told him, making Takeshi dispel the lightning orb.

"Something else?" Takeshi responded curiously.

"Yes. You keep on claiming how you can't cast any other spells other than Enchanter magic. I want to see how you cast that spell. I could catch what you are doing wrong with the spell." Sona explained, making Takeshi go "ah" at her.

"Seems like a plan. Alright then. Though, I have to warn you. Sometimes my spells get a bit...explosive." Takeshi warned while wording it carefully.

"I'll take that into consideration. But please know that I am capable of handling myself." Sona responded with a cool tone.

"Right right." Takeshi said while waving off her tone. Taking a couple steps backwards, he then took a deep breath as he held his staff in front of him.

"Now then. Cast a simple lightning spell." Sona instructed.

Takeshi did as she told as he narrowed his eyes in focus.

'Remember the formula...remember the matrix...remember the calculations...remember what it makes up...' Takeshi thought to himself while formulating the necessary calculations to cast a simple lightning spell.

There a slight flickr as a yellow magic circle began to appear in front of him. However, when the magic circle appeared in front of him, it started to flickr a lot as it progressed to becoming unstable. Takeshi gritted his teeth as he tried to focus on the right amount of magic he is giving it.

'C'mon..C'mon...C'mon...!' Takeshi thought to himself as he tried to focus on the circle before him. His eyes widened when he felt a familiar sense of dread within him when sparks began to come off the magic circle.

"Oh cra-!"

The magic circle soon burst out in unstable energy, exploding right in front of him. Takeshi felt himself falling to the floor and his back thudding on the ground. He groaned a bit when he received the impact, and his mind was a bit disoriented from the blast. As he opened his eyes, he found an outline of a figure standing over him. His ears started to lessen the ringing as a familiar voice reached him.

"-Kun! Fuyushima-kun! Can you hear me?" Sona called out to him while placing her hand on his shoulder and shaking him a bit. Takeshi just gave out a groan as he sat up and shook his head. He then massaged his head while looking at Sona.

"Well, I can hear you know." Takeshi responded, before he patted the dust off of him as he sighed. "Yeah, I was afraid this would happen."

This made Sona gave him a sharp look. "This has happened before?" Sona questioned.

"Unfortunately." Takeshi answered as he managed to pick himself up. He then gave Sona a small sheepish grin.

"Whenever I try to cast a magic spell, it usually backfires on my. 50% of the time it just ends up collapsing and not doing anything. 50% of the other time...well, you've seen the recent results." Takeshi explained while scratching the back of his head.

This made Sona frown upon hearing this. "You mean to tell me that spells ending exploding right in front of you during your entire training...alone, with no supervision or someone watching over you?" Sona asked with a tone that doesn't sound pleasant. However, Takeshi didn't take her tone into mind as he simply shrugged.

"Well, like I said. It happens 50% of the time, so on some days do I get off scot-free." Takeshi answered with a nonchalant tone. However, Sona frowned upon hearing this.

"Fuyushima-kun, do you not realize that you are putting your own body in harm's way as you continue to practice your magic?" Sona questioned, making Takeshi blink at her upon hearing that question.

"Well...sometimes, they are risks. But really most of the time it just ends up with small explosions and I just leave with minor injuries. Nothing really dangerous. It's like doing sports." Takeshi pointed out.

"But even in sports do they regulate and enforce people to follow safety guidelines so we won't end up injuring ourselves or others. Continuing to practice like this will bring you multiple injuries and possibly bring an accident that is very grave to your health." Sona countered with a serious tone.

"Well, just like sports, you've gotta take risks if you truly want to enjoy and progress. Magic is like that for me." Takeshi responded back with an easy tone, before he tilted his head at her. "You're really concerned for my safety, aren't you?"

"I am your student president, and it is my job to see that my fellow students are in safe care. This includes you with everyone else." Sona responded with a cool tone.

"I see..." Takeshi hummed in thought, before he shrugged. "Well, I didn't exactly ask for the explosions. But at the same time, I do not know any other methods of casting a spell that wouldn't end up exploding in my face. So really, this is the type of method I knew of unless I learned of a new one."

The two stared at each for a short moment of silence, but had different expressions. Sona was giving him a stern and serious look that would've caused any other student to shiver under her gaze, while Takeshi simply looked back at her rather plainly while blinking at her, wondering what she is going to say next.

"...You truly are a reckless man, aren't you?" Sona pointed out, making him blink at her once more.

"Reckless? Well, I wouldn't exactly deny it. But sometimes training comes with risks. And I'm willing to take them." Takeshi responded. Sona simply sighed.

"Fuyushima-kun, while there are risks in life, people shouldn't take risks that involve their own safety and health. I understand that you want to progress in your magic, but you can't just recklessly throw yourself into this type of training. You need to care for your own safety." Sona told him.

"Well, I understand what you're saying. Yeah, this whole training might end up injuring me, serious or not, but I'm doing this because if I don't...how can I possibly achieve my own goals?" Takeshi asked her, making Sona look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Your own goals?" Sona asked. Takeshi lets out a fond smile.

"I was originally an orphan. Just like every other orphan, I longed for the day when someone will take me into their family and accept me as their own. Well, I got what I wished when my dad showed up one day and decided to adopt me. And from that day, he gave me a lot of things." Takeshi said as he smiled at that memory.

"He gave what its like to have a family. Granted, it was just him, but I still had a father regardless. He gave me a home for me to live in. He introduced me to the ways of magic. But most of all...he gave me a direction in life. He gave me a goal that I intend to follow." Takeshi told while Sona looked at him with a small sad smile.

"Unfortunately, he passed away due to illness before I entered middle school. But even so, he gave a lot to me as a parent. So to honor him and his memory, I vowed myself to continue in the ways of magic and become a successful Magician just like him." Takeshi told her.

Silence filled the room as he finished his little story and goals, before Sona lets out a quiet sigh as she pushed up her glasses.

"So you're working hard to become a successful Magician in memory of your father, even with the obstacles laid before you? You're willing to continue regardless of the situation you're in?" Sona asked, making Takeshi nod at her.

Sona silently gave a a neutral look for a short moment, before she lets out a small smile, much to his surprise.

"Working hard towards your own goals, regardless of the obstacles you are in. I find that very respectable, Fuyushima-kun." Sona stated.

"Really? Thanks." Takeshi responded with a smile.

"However, Fuyushima-kun." Sona spoke up, making Takeshi pause and look at her. "I do not mean any disrespect towards your ambitions towards your goals, but you have to keep in mind to keep your own safety in check. You wouldn't want to cripple yourself towards your own goals, and I am certain that your late father wouldn't approve of this sort of training" Sona told him, making Takeshi slightly wince upon hearing this.

 **[Oh, she just played the father card.]** Jingzhu commented, hearing the entire conversation. He has been quiet, letting things play out for Takeshi and Sona without his intervention. And he spoke quiet enough for Takeshi not to hear him.

"Y-Yeah, I guess I wouldn't want that..." Takeshi said while letting out a small sheepish grin. "Still, with the history of my training, they're just small explosions regardless. But really, I'll try to be more careful around these things." Takeshi told her, making Sona sigh at him.

"I suppose that is the best I will get out of you." Sona said while massaging her temples. Seeing this particular topic ending, he decided to focus on other things.

"Speaking of which, did you catch anything wrong for what I've done with the spell?" Takeshi asked curiously. Sona pushed up her glasses as she did.

"I managed to observe the magic circle in close detail before the explosion occurred." Sona told him, before she fell into a pensive frown. "However, there was something...strange that I've noticed."

"Strange how?"

"When I looked at your magic circle, I can barely catch any errors on what you casted." Sona told him, making Takeshi look at her in surprise.

"Really?" Takeshi asked in surprise.

"Indeed. I've spent a good amount of time studying magic systems, both Devils and the Magicians, and I am sure that I can say your spell's formula is fine. However, the problem is that I can't seem to figure out what cause your spell to go unstable. Did you overload it with too much magic?" Sona questioned, making Takeshi shake his head.

"No. I usually get the feeling when I force myself to pump too much magic. Through the many years, I've actually managed to practice my skills in the magic flow. So I'm confident that I'm giving the right amount of magic." Takeshi told her.

"I see..." Sona said while folding her arms. "This is quite strange. Your formulas aren't wrong and the amount of magic you put in is at the right balance. But why do your spells not work except for Enchanter spells? That's the real question here."

"I've been living with that question for almost ten years, yet I never seem to have gotten the answer. One of life's greatest mysteries." Takeshi said with a bit of humor in his tone.

"I wouldn't exactly treat this as a laughing matter Fuyushima-kun." Sona responded with a bit of an unamused tone. Takeshi simple gave a small smile and shrug.

"Well, it has something to do with the fact that I'm a first generation Magician. So my abilities aren't exactly up to par with even an average Magician." Takeshi told her, making Sona realize this fact.

"...Yes, that might have something to do with it." Sona said while narrowing her eyes. "First generation are bit of a mixed case, for both Devils and Magicians. Some first generations start out with a large amount of power and potential, some are average, and there are those who have to develop it from the smallest of starts. It seems you have ended up as the last case."

"Seems like I didn't get the lucky end of the stick." Takeshi said with a shrug. "Oh well, I guess I have to just work a lot harder than others."

"While your drive towards your goals is impressive, you're going to waste your energy if you don't gain any results of your work." Sona told him.

"But trial and error is the road to success. I just have a lot of trails to work with." Takeshi returned confidently. Sona pursed her lips.

"Indeed. But you certainly don't want to burden yourself with too many trials." Sona responded.

"True." Takeshi said with a shrug. "So Kaichou, what's your verdict on my case?" Takeshi asked curiously.

Sona went quiet in thought as she narrowed her eyes at him with an analytical look, as if she is trying to assess what Takeshi is. After some time thinking, Sona gave a quiet and small sigh as she folded her arms.

"...Honestly, this case is particularly a difficult one. I've never meet a Magician with so many handicaps and obstacles. And with the Magic you can and can't master, it's difficult to point out where to go from there. The only thing I could say is that you need to keep on trying multiple types of magic. And _not_ to risk yourself in explosions either." Sona told him while emphasizing on the word "not" to tell him to be careful.

"I see..." Takeshi said before sighing. "Well, it was worth a shot. Thanks anyway Kaichou."

"I apologize that I couldn't solve what you needed Fuyushima-kun." Sona said with a small frown.

"Eh, you tried, that's all that matters." Takeshi waved it off.

"I see." Sona then noticed that a considerable amount of time has passed since she stayed here. "I'm afraid I must leave Fuyushima-kun. I have other important errands to attend to, as both a Student President and Heiress of the Sitri household." Sona told him.

"Ah, right. I understand." Takeshi nodded with understanding, before he gave her a curious look. "But before you go, I guess I have to give you something in return for helping me with my magic."

Sona frowned in response. "Fuyushima-kun, you return the contract if I managed to fulfill your desires. I have failed to do so."

Takeshi waved off her deny. "Still, I've managed to take you away from working on important things. So it's my fault for you losing precious time. It's only natural I compensate for such a thing." Takeshi said as he walked off and into the door of his library. Sona stayed silent upon hearing this, and merely exhaled through her nose.

A short moment later, Takeshi walked out of the library and held out a book towards her.

"Here. This might be useful to you." Takeshi said as he offered it to her. Sona looked at the book and blinked in surprise.

"Fuyushima-kun, this is..." Sona said with a bit of surprise.

"It's a grimoire with advanced spells and multiple theories based on water magic. The Sitri Pillar is talented in water magic, so it naturally fits you up the alley. Oh, and I understand that a Devil's magic system solely relies on demonic energy and imagination, but these spells should certainly help you imagine some ideas." Takeshi explained to her.

Sona looked at the book, before she looked at Takeshi with a soft frown. "...You do not have to do this. This belonged to you and your fathers. I couldn't possibly take away such a valuable item."

Takeshi chuckled at her. "Don't worry about it. I've pretty much inherited the library from my dad, and I'm free to do what I want with it. Besides, I don't think my dad will appreciate his collection and research sitting around collecting dust. I bet he will be more than happy to see that his works are being used." Takeshi reassured her.

Sona gazed at the book for a short moment, before she sighed. "You're not going to take no for an answer, aren't you?"

"Nope!" Takeshi responded with a bright tone. The heiress rubbed her head as she accepted the book.

"Honestly..." Sona sighed. "If this is the end of it, then this is where we part ways Fuyushima-kun."

"Yeah..." Takeshi said, before he softly frowned. "It's a shame. Your advice has been a great help to me."

"But I did no such thing." Sona replied.

"No really. You helped me realize not to harm myself during my training, as well as the consequences of doing so. I made me think about it." Takeshi admitted, before he frowned in thought as he folded his arms.

"Now the problem is trying to figure out how to protect myself if such a thing occurs again." Takeshi said while humming in thought.

"I'm sure you'll be able to solve eventually Fuyushima-kun." Sona told him.

"I guess." Takeshi said, before he blinked in realization. "Hey, I think I might know something..."

"What is it?" Sona asked, a bit inquisitive upon noticing Takeshi's quick realization of something. He then gave her a curious look.

"When are you not busy with school work or other activities." Takeshi asked her, making her blink a few times upon hearing that question.

"...An odd question to ask, but mostly on weekends, a few times on some afternoons." Sona answered. This made Takeshi smile upon hearing this.

"Well, if it isn't too much to ask, can I summon you so you can teach me more about magic? You're a really good tutor." Takeshi told her, making Sona look a bit surprised upon hearing this.

"Even after all of this, you still need my help?" Sona asked a bit of a stunned tone.

"Well, you certainly look like the type of person who knows which direction to go right, and having you tutor me helps me cut of unnecessary steps or paths for me to take. Also, you did say that I needed to be watched over during my training, lest I get my body injured." Takeshi told her and gave a look of understanding. "But I understand that would certainly be a bit bothersome to your schedule and all that..."

Sona stayed silent upon hearing his reasons. Certainly, he was correct on all the parts. She wouldn't exactly lie to say that she was a bit flattered upon Takeshi's faith and confidence in her own abilities, and she certainly has a schedule to attend to.

But let it be known that while not very open or vocal, Sona is a person has a good amount of pride in her, and could not tolerate failure that well. Not at her fellow red haired heiress level, but a low amount of toleration nonetheless.

So after some time thinking, Sona adjusted her glasses.

"Certainly...it wouldn't do me no good if I stopped here and failed in fulfilling a desire." Sona said with a considering tone, making Takeshi look at her with surprise.

"Eh?"

"If I stopped here, then it would make me and my household look bad if I failed in completing a contract, as I am its heiress. And as Student Council president, it is my job to make sure that my student body is safe." Sona continued, before she gave Takeshi a stern look.

"My question to you, Fuyushima-kun, is that are you willing to accept my tutoring? I will not slow down if things become too advanced for you to understand." Sona told him. Hearing her say thing, Takeshi couldn't help but make a small smirk.

"I would certainly welcome the challenge. And you won't worry about my learning capabilities." Takeshi told her, as he held confidence in his other power.

"If that is the case, I shall return here Saturday afternoon. I expect a lot of things from you, Fuyushima-kun." Sona told with a stern tone as a magic circle appeared underneath her and became enveloped by a light, transporting her away.

Seeing this, Takeshi couldn't help but pump his fist in success.

He was finally getting somewhere in his progress with his magic! And all he needed was some help from others, especially from someone who is quite knowledgable in magic.

Things are finally starting to look up for him!

* * *

 **(Student Council Room)**

As the flash died down, Sona opened her eyes and found herself back in the student council room. She saw every single member of her Peerage working on their desks, completing their tasks. It was afternoon, but she and her Peerage had to stay due to certain school events coming up. As such, there is a lot of planning and preparation to do.

"Welcome back Kaichou." Tsubaki greeted with a bow.

"Hello Tsubaki. I trust you and the others are working diligently on your assignments?" Sona asked with a steady tone.

"Everything has been stable so far Kaichou." Tsubaki answered.

"That's good to hear." Sona said with a nod. The last thing she wanted was her Peerage members slacking or goofing off. She doesn't exactly tolerate the sort of thing when there is a lot to be done.

It was then Tomoe, the Knight of the Peerage, noticed a book that Sona is holding.

"Oh, Kaichou, what is that?" Tomoe asked curiously.

"Hm? This?" Sona said while looking at the grimoire in her hand. "This is grimoire that I received from my cilent."

It was then Yura Tsubasa, the Rook of the Peerage, whistled upon the mention of a grimoire.

"You got a grimoire? Wow, must've been an important job from some high class Magician. Makes me wonder what you did for him." Yura said with curiosity while resting her head on her palm.

"You are quite mistaken. I received this grimoire in return for helping Fuyushima-kun." Sona responded.

Her answer made everyone look at her with surprise, but Saji was the one who stood out the most as he stood up from his chair.

"Huh!? Fuyushima!? He was the one who managed to summon you!? I thought it was some big-shot, but that guy!?" Saji exclaimed. Sona sighed as she adjusted her glasses.

"Saji-kun, please use your indoor voices." Sona told him, making Saji pipe up upon her request.

"Yes Kaichou..." Saji grumbled as he sat down and crossed his arms with a small scowl. Discovering what happened with their King, the Peerage grew curious.

"Hey, Kaichou, what did Fuyushima summon you for anyway? I don't know much about Magicians, so possibly some magic experiment?" Yura asked. Sona shook her head.

"Not quite Yura. Fuyushima needed my assistance in developing his magic." Sona answered, making Reya, the Bishop of the Peerage, blink upon hearing this.

"Developing his magic? I remember Fuyushima-kun mentioning about his own magic skills not being up to par..." Reya pointed out.

"Yes. As all of you know, Fuyushima's skills in magic does not match up to the skills of even an average Magician. So he has decided to turn to us to help him in his time of need." Sona told them.

"And he managed to summon you Kaichou? Out of his own desire?" Momo, another Bishop of the Peerage, spoke up. Her own words managed to make Saji scowl even more upon hearing this.

"Actually, he was expecting to summon one of you two, considering that both of you specialize in magic." Sona pointed out as she looked at her two Bishops, making them blink in surprise.

"Then how did Fuyushima-kun summon you?" Tsubaki asked, sounding a bit curious.

"He had a very specific desire." Sona answered. "What he wanted was someone who has great knowledge in magic, and someone who is capable of teaching someone like him, who's position is quite difficult."

"Ah...I see..." Tsubaki said while nodding in understanding, seeing what Sona meant by that statement. It was then Saji decided to speak up and raised his hand.

"Urm, Kaichou, I'm kind of curious about my own skills in my power, and I would use your help as well..." Saji suggested, hoping Sona will give attention to him.

Unfortunately for him, Sona sighed as she sat in her chair.

"Not now Saji-kun. I have other important tasks to attend to. If you need help in your magic, ask one of our Bishops for help." Sona told him as she began working on multiple documents.

"Yes Gen-chan. I'll be able to help you when it comes to magic." Momo suggested while giving a kind smile towards him, sporting a small blush while doing so.

"I-I can help too you know!" Rukuro, Saji's fellow pawn, said eagerly while raising her hand, all the while turning her head a bit and gave Momo a small glare. The Bishop returned the glare as well, forming a small spark between them.

However, Saji ignored them as he crossed his arms with a displeased look on his face.

Things weren't looking good for him.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap!**

 **Whew, was that a hassle. Especially imagining the dialogue for this chapter. But when you drink some sweet carbonated beverages, it sometimes stimulates the mind. Other times I go into a sugar crash and fall asleep. Oh well.**

* * *

 **(This Arc)**

 **For those who don't know, I have decided to create an Arc of my own (which is happening right now), and it happens at the same time with the Raiser Arc.**

 **Because really, what can Takeshi even do with them during their training or their Rating Game? He's not really close to any of the Peerage members, so he is not in the know of any marriage going on. The Rias and her Peerage aren't that close to him, and they certainly don't need his help, due to the fact because of his limitations and powers. And honestly, Takeshi couldn't really make much of a big effect on the whole training and Rating Game anyways, so I've just decided to leave him out of it.**

 **Instead, I'm going to use this Arc for Takeshi to discover a few things along the way, and eventually makes its way into the Excalibur Arc.**

 **So yeah, what you're going to see here for a few chapters is Takeshi's own little arc to go with.**

* * *

 **(Sona is summoned?)**

 **I'm sure you're all surprised to see that Sona of all people is summoned through the contract to help Takeshi. Well, if Rias and the others are summoned through the contract seal, why can't Sona and the others?**

 **And as for why I chose Sona, it is because she is perfect for fulfilling Takeshi's desires.**

 **Takeshi wanted a great and knowledgable teacher in the ways of magic, so he can progress.**

 **Sona is a person who is highly intelligent in many aspects, which fulfills one part. But what really drives it home is her own dream. Remember, Sona has a dream to open a school for Rating Games, teaching anyone of all statuses. I could honestly bet that when that dream does come true, Sona is either going to become a principal or a teacher at that. But regardless, Sona seems like the person who is going to be teaching a lot in the future. So I told myself, since Sona is intelligent and has great potential in being a teacher, she perfectly fits in with Takeshi's desires for a teacher.**

 **So yeah, Sona is chosen through the contract, and they'll continue to work together for a while.**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	7. The Shadower

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other elements.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Shadower**

 **(Training Room)**

Ever since Takeshi managed to have Sona agree to be his magic tutor, things have been taking an interesting turn as of late. With his coaching from Erika to utilize his Sacred Gear and having Sona come and focus on improving his magic abilities, his progress has been slowly moving forward. Not by much, but he began to notice he is getting somewhere.

He guessed that working alone can do so much for him, but working with others brings greater results.

A few days have passed as she took on the role of watching over Takeshi's actions and made sure that he won't get injured from any explosive collapse of his spells. The heiress also took the time to look over Takeshi's magic and begun some sort of plan to help him get around magic.

Sona decided it was best to start at the basics and make their way up there. So for now, she is having him complete the basic spells, and slowly build it up from there. They started with a simple magic bullet, then have him manipulate the bullet in certain ways, and then proceed to more complex spells.

"Alright...once more." Sona instructed as she watched Takeshi work with a spell.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes as he focused on his **Pulse Bullet**. Normally, **Pulse Bullet** is relatively basic spell where you just shoot a bullet made of magic. However, this spell can be improved.

It depends on how it utilized and how much power it is put into.

For example, compare a rookie Magician and a veteran Magician. Both know the spell **Pulse Bullet** , but there is a difference between power. The rookie Magician can cast it basically, but the veteran Magician can pump a lot of magic into it, making the magic bullet more powerful than it was ever before. It easily surpasses the rookie Magician.

That is what Takeshi is currently practicing on.

Steadily flowing the magic into his spell, he noticed that the magic bullet in his hand is getting bigger every single second, until it was the size of a basketball. He stopped at that size, seeing and feeling that that is enough magic he put into.

Seeing this, Takeshi aimed his hand forward and show the magic bullet across the room. The large **Pulse Bullet** soared across, until it exploded in a large amount of energy, resulting in a flash that made Takeshi cover his eyes with his arms. As the flash died down, he looked at the results of his work.

"Well, I guess my control of magic is fine..." Takeshi commented.

"Indeed. It seems your control over your magic is indeed stable. With the correct adjustments and the right amount of magic, it would seem that your control over magic is perfectly fine." Sona summarized.

"Yeah, kinda weird how it doesn't work out with other spells. No thanks to my own abilities..." Takeshi muttered in thought.

"Perhaps." Sona replied. "But there is something that I've noticed throughout the time with you magic."

"What is it?" Takeshi asked curiously.

"...There is something I want for you to try out, and for me to see." Sona told him, before she looked at him with an analytical gaze.

"Are you familiar with the magic formula for trajectory manipulation?" Sona asked.

"I did study up on it when I wanted to try out homing missiles made from water itself, but that unfortunately backfired on me. I do understand the concept and formulas for the trajectory though." Takeshi answered.

"Good. If that is the case, I want you to incorporate the the trajectory concept into the Pulse Bullet formula." Sona told him, making Takeshi blink in surprise upon what she said.

"...Are you asking me to modify a spell?" Takeshi asked in surprise. Sona simply nodded.

"This is something I want to see, and to confirm my own hypothesis. I'll explain it to you when we see the results." Sona explained. Takeshi gave a short look on confusion, before he complied as he held his hand up and closed his eyes in concentration.

'First step, make the calculations of the Enchanter spell. Second step, set up the trajectory calculation. Third step, incorporate it into the Enchanter spell...' Takeshi thought to himself as he focused on making the necessary adjustments and configuring the equation to make it stable. After calculating the entire equation with the new addition, Takeshi opened his eyes.

"Hah!" Takeshi then let the magic take over as as magic circle appeared in front of him. A bullet of magic then shot away from him, and it was to his surprise when he saw the bullet change trajectory, changing its direction once and a while. It moved from straight, to left, to forward, to the right, upwards, and then finally downwards towards the ground.

Takeshi looked at the spell with surprise and shock, seeing how he managed to perform such a spell. In fact, he stood there a bit dazed upon what he just managed to perform. Meanwhile, Sona nodded and pushed up her glasses.

"As I thought, it would seem my hypothesis was correct is correct." Sona stated with a small smile. Takeshi broke out his state and turned to Sona.

"What do you mean Kaichou? I've tried a spell similar to that, but it failed. But how..." Takeshi said, before his eyes widened in realization as well. Noticing his expression, Sona nodded at him.

"Every time we tested you with other magic, it has failed. But with Enchanter Magic, you seem to cast it no problem. You cast it like second nature to you. Because of the limitation, I've begun to look into it and see if there are any possibilities or loopholes I can find." Sona explained, while Takeshi finally understood what and why Sona had him do.

"I get it now! Seeing how Enchanter Magic is the only thing I can perform, you've decided to see how a modified Enchanter Magic spell would work. Even though it is modified, it's foundation is still the same! It's technically an Enchanter Spell, yet it is something completely new!" Takeshi said with realization.

"You took the words right out of my mouth Fuyushima-kun." Sona responded. It was then Takeshi's expression brightened a lot.

"Amazing...to think such a thing could happen and for me to use! This...This is amazing Kaichou." Takeshi said, before he looked at Sona with a bit of awe. "You really are a genius when it comes to magic." Takeshi said to her.

However, it was to his surprise when Sona actually shook her head.

"Do not give me all the credit Fuyushima-kun. What you have managed to create on your first try is something I found astounding." Sona told him, making him tilt his head at her.

"What do you mean?" Takeshi confusedly asked. It was then Sona folded her arms and slightly narrowed her eyes.

"Do you not understand Fuyushima-kun? Modifying a spell requires a great amount of understanding and knowledge. It is easy to do the calculations when you manage to study off what is given. But to create something new on a given foundation is something that requires a greater amount of effort. To do so requires the knowledge on how to connect the equations and have them stay in equilibrium, understanding the numbers, letters, and equations, and applying the formulas. All of these is required to cast a spell alone. For you to modify it while in a single attempt is something that not many average Magicians or even high class Magicians can do." Sona explained to him, making Takeshi's eyes widened upon learning this.

"Even I can admit that I do not have much understanding to the calculations and formulas behind a Magician's spell, mainly due to the fact that I focus on my demonic energy and imagination. And for you to do it in a single moment in a single try is something astounding." Sona told him, before she shook her head at him.

"What I did was merely tell you to incorporate this calculation into your foundation. What you did was on your own. You may not have the ability or talent to perform a great amount of magic, but it seems you are gifted with a great mind with a great understanding of magic. That alone is a great asset to your own abilities. It all depends on how you apply it." Sona told him.

Takeshi fell into silence upon hearing all of this, absorbing all of what Sona told him.

'...I never knew it was possible. But Kaichou is right. I never thought about it, but modifying my own Enchanter spells into something else, and even inventing a new kind of spell is something that I never thought of doing. But here I am, just pulling it off in one go...!' Takeshi thought with astonishment.

Sona began to notice Takeshi's shoulders shaking a bit, and Takeshi's lips trembling a bit.

"Fuyushima-kun? Is something that matter?" Sona asked with a bit of concern.

She honestly didn't expect Takeshi to be softly laughing and a really large grin entered his face.

"I-I never expected this to happen at all. For so many years, I've struggled to cast even the most basic of spells. Yet here I am, casually creating a spell that branched off of a basic Enchanter spell. This...This is something I never thought I could achieve, but here I am, doing so. It's feels too good to be true Kaichou." Takeshi told her.

It was his own happiness that radiated off of him that Sona couldn't help but let her lips form a small smile form of her own.

"Well, it seems like you are finally making progress." Sona told him, making Takeshi nod at her.

"Yeah." Takeshi responded, before his eyes grew with a bit of excitement. "Who knows what else I can do know with his kind of knowledge? I can branch off so many spells off of the Enchanter Spells. So many to choose from...!" Takeshi said while trying to figure out where to go next.

"While your enthusiasm is welcomed, must you remember that we are in the middle of practicing your magic?" Sona said to Takeshi, breaking him out of his phase.

"Huh?"

"Just because we've managed to discover one possibility for you to increase your magic capabilities, that doesn't mean you can disregard what you are trying to learn." Sona told him, making him scratch the back of his head.

"Oh yeah...forgot about that. Right, I may be able to create new spells in the Enchanter category, but that doesn't mean I should try more magic." Takeshi said with a nod.

"Indeed. Now then, I believe we can move into the next step of our plans..." Sona announced.

It was from that point that they spent hours working on the possibilities of Takeshi's magic.

* * *

 **(Dream)**

Even after spending the whole day working with Erika to perfect the use of his Sacred Gear and studying with Sona to learn more about his magic capabilities, there is no rest for Takeshi, even in his sleep.

Whenever he rests his body and goes to sleep, Jingzhu is able to take him to his inner mind and mentally train him on how to ride a horse. So with the physical and mental training that he receives every day, he is steadily progressing in learning the basics.

Currently, they were in a large field that can accommodate for Takeshi and Jingzhu, with minor obstacles and turns placed within it.

 **[Keep your center of gravity in check! Do not slouch! Keep you back straight!]** Jingzhu coached as he rode a horse alongside Takeshi, who was riding a horse of his own.

"R-Right!" the young Magician replied as he straightened his back, all the while trying to figure how to balance himself on the horse that is currently walking faster than he usually deals with.

 **[Ah! Your shoulders aren't straight and even!]**

"G-Got it!" Takeshi did as he was told.

Let it be known that while Jingzhu may be laid back and a bit carefree, he is certainly stern and strict when it comes to the topic of horses. It's like having that PE coach that constantly yells at you to do better, even though you're giving it your all.

 **[Alright Takeshi! Let's give it another go! Ready your horse for some maneuvering!]** Jingzhu announced as he pointed ahead of him, having Takeshi see the obstacles and turns he has to make.

Gripping on the reins a bit tighter, Takeshi readied himself as he prepared to move his horse.

Seeing that he has to turn left, he applied a bit of pressure on the left rein and applied a bit of pressure from his leg on the horse's left side. It was easy, as the horse did as it was told and turned left. Seeing a low fence that can be easily stepped over, Takeshi pulled the reins a bit to signal a jump. The horse made a small jump over it, successfully avoiding it. Takeshi stumbled a bit upon the impact of the landing, but managed to hang on.

 **[Alright! Just a few more!]** Jingzhu told him as he raised his whip and whipped the horse, having it neigh and pick up the pace and run ahead. Takeshi gave a quiet sigh as he prepared himself for the rest of the obstacles.

A few moments later, Takeshi was now lying on the grass of a hillside while breathing in a tired manner.

"Even the basics can seriously drain you..." Takeshi groaned a bit, and felt a shadow cover his face. He looked up to see Jingzhu standing over him while offering a water canteen.

Gratefully accepting it, Takeshi opened the container and readily drank it. As he did, Jingzhu hummed in thought as he stroked his yellow beard.

 **[Good. Very good Takeshi. I can finally see some progress.]** Jingzhu told him, making Takeshi look at him with a bit of surprise.

"Really?"

 **[Well of course! I've been carefully monitoring you progress, and I could proudly say that you are improving every single moment. Granted, there are a few things that need to be polished, but you didn't start early. But we still have time!]** Jingzhu told him proudly.

"Thanks Jingzhu. I couldn't have done all of this without you and Erika's help." Takeshi thanked him, only to have Jingzhu snort.

 **[Bah, the girl merely made sure you stay on it. I, on the other hand, taught you most of the basics!]** Jingzhu told him.

"Right right, of course." Takeshi said while waving it off, getting used to Jingzhu's attitude.

The spirit then chuckled as closed his eyes in thought.

 **[Why it only felt like yesterday when you tried to get off of the horse and fell down on your back! Bwa ha ha ha!]** Jingzhu laughed heartily.

"...Jingzhu, that did happen yesterday." Takeshi told him while giving a small sweatdrop.

However, he was promptly ignored by Jingzhu's own laughter.

* * *

 **(Sunday - Family Room)**

"Taking a break?" Takeshi asked in surprise as he was behind the couch that Erika was currently sitting on while flipping through her magazine.

"You've heard me. Take a break. Go out and have fun. Do whatever you feel like doing." Erika listed with a bit of a drawl while keeping her eyes glued on the magazine. Takeshi couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"But why?" Takeshi asked curiously and confused.

"Well, you've been training with your Sacred Gear and your Magic day after day. While it is important to keep up a consistent schedule, your body isn't able to endure that type of stress. It will eventually collapse in on itself if you don't rest." Erika told him as she flipped through another page.

"So you pretty much have a day off to relax. Go and have fun and do whatever you enjoy." Erika told him, and then turned her head to look at Takeshi with a flat look.

"And Takeshi, for our sakes, do not go back to studying magic or lock yourself in the library. That is not a form of relaxation." Erika told him, making him flinch.

"I-I can't?" Takeshi asked, as his plans to study in the library is show down by Erika. Erika gave a slight snort as she turned back to her magazine.

"Takeshi, I even have my own form of fun. Even though I am mostly at the Grigori working, I sometimes come to the human world and enjoy what they offer. You should do the same. Get some fresh air rather than shutting yourself in your house all day." Erika told him, making Takeshi frown in thought.

"...I guess going out isn't so bad...but to where...?" Takeshi wondered, before he blinked upon an idea.

* * *

 **(Lubbock's Hideout)**

"Yo, welcome back to my hideout." Lubbock greeted Takeshi as he made his way into his underground room.

"Hey Lubbock. Sorry for not calling you earlier to give you a heads up." Takeshi said while giving a sheepish smile.

"Eh, it's fine by me. You're more than welcome to come here anytime." Lubbock waved it off, before he gave a curious look. "So, what brought you here today? Interested in my merchandise?"

Takeshi simply shrugged. "Well, I decided to take a day off from all of my work. I decided if I were to relax, I would spend it with you. That is, unless you're busy." Takeshi pointed out.

"Not really. Today's kind of a slow day, so we honestly don't have much going on." Lubbock said with a shrug, before he headed towards the refrigerator to get a couple drinks.

"So, still busy on studying with magic, eh?" Lubbock said as he rummaged through the refrigerator.

"You could say that." Takeshi responded.

"Mhm." Lubbock hummed as he took out a can and tossed it to Takeshi. "Well, I'm not much of a magic enthusiast as you, but I can understand that being a Magician requires a lot of studying, something that I shudder at." Lubbock said while giving off a shudder upon the thought of it.

"Well, at least you make up for it with street smarts and economics." Takeshi reassured him.

"True, and that's all I need if I need to get through the business world." Lubbock admitted, before he looked at Takeshi with an interested look.

"So, have any plans?" Lubbock asked. Takeshi shook his head. Lubbock hummed in thought as he rubbed his chin in thought, before he snapped his fingers.

"Well, since we have nothing better to do, want to hit up the arcades?" Lubbock asked.

"The arcades?" Takeshi said, before he scratched the back of his head. "Haven't been to those in a long time. When was the last time I visited it?" Takeshi wondered.

"Now that is a crime that I have to fix." Lubbock said with a small smirk. "Looks like we're spending the whole day at the arcade. Hope you can-" Lubbock continued, but was soon cut off when he heard his phone ring.

"Hold up for a sec." Lubbock said as he went to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" Lubbock said to the phone.

Takeshi watched as Lubbock went quiet when hearing the voice from the phone. He could hear some mumbles of "I see" and "Are you sure?". But what worried him a lot was when Lubbock's expression soon fell into a troubled expression and his hand clenched a bit tightly.

After some time, Lubbock finally ended the call and hung up the phone. As soon as he did, Lubbock gave a stressed sigh as he pinched the bride of his nose.

"God dammit..." Lubbock muttered, making Takeshi looked worried for him.

"Lubbock? Is something the matter?" Takeshi asked with concern. Lubbock shook his head.

"It's nothing Takeshi. Nothing to worry about." Lubbock tried to dismiss, but Takeshi wasn't buying it.

"Are you sure? I'm willing to help you if you have problems." Takeshi told him, making Lubbock gave a small appreciative smile.

"While I do appreciate the thought, I shouldn't drag you into my problems." Lubbock told him. However, Takeshi shook his head.

"Lubbock, you know as well as I do that I can't leave a friend in trouble. Or anyone in trouble. If you're not happy, then I swear that I will make the situation better for you." Takeshi told him with small tone of resolution.

Lubbock blinked at him for a few times, before he chuckled and shook his head.

"Right right...I forgot that ideal of yours. Existing to make everyone happy and all that. Well, if it's one thing I definitely know about you, is that once you set your mind to it, you just don't stop." Lubbock said with a chuckle.

 **[A lot of people keep telling you that...]** Jingzhu commented, hearing that from Kiyome as well.

'I know, right?' Takeshi agreed, and nodded at Lubbock. Lubbock couldn't help but give a defeated sigh.

"Fine fine, I give." Lubbock said while putting up his arms lazily, showing he surrenders to this small debate. He then sighed while giving a small frown.

"I just received a call from the local delivery company. It seems that their vehicles are suffering technical issues." Lubbock explained to him, making Takeshi look at him with a bit of confusion.

"So...?" Takeshi gestured Lubbock to continue.

"It's a problem for me. You see, I rely on the local delivery companies to deliver my merchandise. The client ordered it from the next town over and is expecting it sometime tomorrow morning. That is where the true problem springs." Lubbock told him, making Takeshi a bit confused on where this is going.

"So the client won't get your merchandise at the exact time. How is that a problem?" Takeshi asked.

It was then Lubbock scratched his hand in annoyance.

"You see, I needed to attract customers by doing a bit of advertising, you know? Promising business deals and all that. What I did was create a policy that stated that if I fail to deliver the goods on the desired date, it would be given free. That would naturally entice customers." Lubbock explained to him, making Takeshi realize on what Lubbock is trying to say.

"You can't deliver the goods when the delivery system is out, and you won't be able to deliver it on time, costing you income." Takeshi said with realization. Lubbock gave a frustrated sigh as he lowered his head.

"Yeah. And I've pulled a bunch of deals and strings to get the item I needed to deliver. So see all my hard work go down the drain is pretty depressing..." Lubbock said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I could go deliver it myself, but the trains don't come to this town at this time. And even when they do, they'll go under maintenance. So I don't have any mode of transportation to get there." Lubbock told him.

"I see..." Takeshi said with a frown, before his eyes widened upon realizing a solution for all of this.

"Wait, I know a way to solve this problem!" Takeshi told Lubbock, making his friend look at him with surprise.

"Seriously!?" Lubbock responded with a shocked tone.

"Yeah! I never got the chance to tell you because of my training and also the fact that I recently discovered it!" Takeshi told him as he summoned the Whip of the King of Horses in his hand.

Lubbock gave a raised eyebrow at the whip in his hand.

"...That's a rather interesting item you got there." Lubbock commented.

He cried out in surprise when Takeshi whipped down his Sacred Gear and a flash appeared in the room. When the flash was over, Lubbock was now greeted with the sight of a small horse inside his room.

Lubbock stared blankly at the horse in his room, and then turned to Takeshi with the best expression he could give in this situation.

"...Why is there a horse in my room!?" Lubbock asked in a shocked tone. Takeshi merely gave a small grin.

"That, my good friend, is the function of my Sacred Gear. It allows me to summon horses." Takeshi explained to him while shaking the whip in his hand, making Lubbock blink in a dumbfounded manner.

"Sacred Gear...? If I remember correctly, they're artifacts given by the Biblical God, right?" Lubbock tried to confirm. Takeshi simply nodded at him.

"Huh...well that's something you don't see everyday." Lubbock said as he looked at the horse before him, which was standing perfectly still.

"So um...I hope it doesn't take a dump in my hiding place. Lisbeth would sure rag on me when there is horse droppings in this place." Lubbock commented. Takeshi chuckled.

"Don't worry, this is merely just a physical construct of a horse. It doesn't even need to do what horses usually need." Takeshi reassured him. He then patted the horse.

"The town near Kuoh isn't that far. If I go by horse, then I'll be able to get there in no time." Takeshi reassured him, making Lubbock look at him with a bit of surprise.

"Really? Dude, you just came here. I don't want to dump my work onto you." Lubbock told him, but Takeshi shook his head with a smile.

"Don't worry. I'm perfectly fine with it. Really." Takeshi reassured him.

Lubbock gave a steady look at Takeshi and then the horse, then back to Takeshi. He then gave a defeated sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"Fine, you can do it. I seriously owe you for all of this trouble that you're going through." Lubbock told him with a small grin.

"You don't need to owe me anything." Takeshi responded with a small grin. Lubbock couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"I swear, you're too nice for your own good."

* * *

 **(Later)**

"I-I never knew such transportation was this intense...!" Takeshi told himself as he tightly clung to the reins as he bent a bit forward to adjust to the winds before him.

Currently, he was now riding the very horse he first summoned: Bucephalus. The large steed was galloping through the land with a large amount of speed that easily surpassed even the top bred horses.

He saw that his first horse that he summoned was best for this situation. Any other horse, such as the regular horses, wouldn't exactly fit the criteria if he need to deliver the package in time.

So he decided to use Bucephalus strength and speed to get him there. And boy, did the horse live up to the legend of being Alexander the Great's trusty steed in battle and travel. This horse was running speeds that greatly surpassed the average car speed.

Bucephalus was the perfect steed to get the job done, but his horse riding skills say something else.

As he is, his current horse riding skills were amateur at best and could actually handle riding horses at a brisk pace. But at the level of riding a legendary horse capable of running at high speeds is something that is too high of a level for him.

Luckily, he managed to find a way to make up this flaw.

There are times when he is truly thankful for Enchanter Magic as it made things easier for him.

 **Astral Bind** , quite currently the best spell that Takeshi favors to make situations easier for him. But this spell was a bit more different in function compared to its original function, thanks to Takeshi's own modification to the spell itself.

Rather than having the spell bind enemies to certain spots, he managed to manipulate the magical threads to attach to practically any target now on both sides. They're like wires that can be hooked onto anything.

Because he modified this spell, he decided to name it **Spider** , considering that they act as web threads made to attach to anything on both ends.

And because he managed to modify such a function, he used it in the best possible way for this situation.

On himself and the horse.

By attaching the magical threads onto his body and onto the horse itself, they serve as safety harnesses that makes Takeshi able to stay on his horse, no matter how rough the ride is. So the possibility of him being thrown or falling off is eliminated, unless the magical threads were to disappear.

Fortunately, the threads were made to last a good amount of time, so long as he doesn't put too much force onto them.

So with the solution of having **Astral Bind** hold him in place, he can now ride Bucephalus safely.

'However, using this is like using training wheels. I can't use them forever, and I need to learn how to ride on my own.' Takeshi told himself, seeing that he needs to improve from all of this. But for now, the situation calls for it.

And right now, Takeshi was currently experiencing and feeling a lot of things as he rode a legendary horse at high speeds.

"I can finally understand why you admire horses so much! It's because of the feeling you have when you ride them at such speeds!" Takeshi told Jingzhu as he could feel the wind rush through him and the land pass by him in a blur.

 **[Ha ha ha! Didn't I tell you!? Horse riding is the most thrilling experience man could possibly go through! No modern day transportation could ever match up to this feeling!]** Jingzhu laughed.

"Possibly! Though...I've always wanted to try out a motorcycle..." Takeshi muttered with a bit of thought.

 **[Bah! Those cheap two wheelers will never compare to the might or horses!]**

'You sure are a strong believer of horses...' Takeshi thought, giving a small smile of amusement at the horse thief/fanatic.

He continued on hearing Jingzhu's rant about horses on the rest of the way to his destination.

* * *

 **(Building)**

"This seems like the building..." Takeshi muttered to himself as he looked at the address, and looked at the building in front of him. He couldn't help but frown when he noticed how building was.

This building was at the edge of the town. While the fact may be normal, the fact that the building looked older compared to the rest of the modern ones was what made Takeshi feel a bit wary around it.

'It's like in those stories where these types of buildings hold those suspicious gang hide outs. But looking at the news as of late, there hasn't been any criminal activity around here...' Takeshi thought to himself, before he shook his head.

'It doesn't matter of the location. So long as I manage to deliver this, then Lubbock can sell his product for a good amount of money.' Takeshi told himself, before he nodded in resolution and walked through the entrance of the building.

As he entered the foyer of the building, he couldn't help but notice how it's a bit dusty inside. He also noticed how it was completely empty. Not even the front desk had any people. He walked up to the front desk and looked around, but saw nobody around.

"Um...anybody here?" Takeshi called out, trying to look for someone who works at this place. But there was still silence.

"...Strange." Takeshi muttered. Normally, there are people around to work at this area. Could it be that they're all on lunch break.

"...I'm getting a real bad feeling about this." Takeshi muttered, before he decided to move on and look at the directory of the building. He stayed silent for a moment as he looked at the map, before he found the address.

Deciding to move on once he found it, he proceeded to walk on through the hallways and searching from the room. As he did, he couldn't help but notice how quiet it was. Like it was completely dead.

 **[...Keep your guard up Takeshi. I have a bad feeling about this.]** Jingzhu warned him while folding his arms.

"You and me both." Takeshi whispered in response.

He finally reached the end of the hallway and was meet with the number 13 on it. Giving the number a good look, he looked down at the paper and saw that it had the exact room number on it.

"...Seems like the place." Takeshi muttered to himself, before he cleared his throat. He then gave a few knocks on the door and waited for somebody to come.

He frowned when he saw the door not open, and decided to knock one more time.

"Hello? Is anybody home? I'm here to deliver a package." Takeshi called out to them.

Once more, there was no response.

"Is nobody home...?" Takeshi quietly asked himself, before he looked down at the package in his arms.

"Perhaps I should leave this at the front de-"

Before he could finish that sentence, he vision was soon darkened and felt a strong force grab his arms. He could only scream out in surprise when he felt himself being taken down by a strong force, and could only notice that there is some bag over his head.

'I'm being kidnapped!?' Takeshi thought in shock.

 **[Crap! I should've known! Too much quiet always means danger!]**

Takeshi couldn't agree more as he felt himself picked up and carried away against his will.

* * *

 **(Later)**

After being carried around like a sack of potatoes, Takeshi was now being forced onto some pillar with his hands tied with some kind of rope. His hearing and sight is obstructed with the bag over his head. And with that Takeshi didn't know what was going on, except for the fact that he is kidnapped against his own will.

'This is bad...are they holding me for ransom? Possibly use me as a hostage to get what they want?' Takeshi thought while a drop of sweat travelled down his cheek, before his eyes opened in realization.

'No...wait...Lubbock's customers are usually involved with the supernatural. So...what I'm dealing with here isn't normal! These guys are something else entirely, and the police won't be doing anything about it...!' Takeshi realized, and his body tensed a bit upon learning this.

He could hear some voices around him, but with his hearing blocked, he could only hear muffles of their voices. But from what he could tell, the voices sounded rather agitated, like they were arguing about something.

'Hey, Jingzhu. Are you able to make out what they're saying?' Takeshi mentally asked.

 **[Luckily for you, I do not need your ears to hear the outside world. For what I could make out, they seem to be arguing how to use you. Some parts I heard something about using you as a hostage and have the company that you work for pay the ransom. Some are arguing that it's just a waste of time and just leave. A couple are saying to just kill you off and be off with it.]**

'...The first two don't sound good...but the third is something that I do not particularly support...' Takeshi thought grimly as he knew that whoever he is dealing with has his life on the line.

 **[I know. For now, stay calm and do not cause too much trouble. If we play our cards right, you may get out of this alive. So it is best to...wait, what is that noise?]**

'Jingzhu?'

 **[I hear...the arguments cease a bit, but now they are growing alarmed. The only problem is...what are they alarmed about?]**

Before Takeshi could say anything else, he suddenly heard screaming and explosions going around, and he could practically feel the ground shaking a bit. It was as if some battle was going on.

'What's going on? Some kind of attack?' Takeshi thought with a bit of alarm.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Where did she go!?"

"I don't know! She was there for one second, and then she vanished like she was never here!"

"Crap! Keep a lookout for her, and have widespread spells ready!"

"Right!"

A bunch of shady looking people in robes were frantically looking around trying to search for their assailant while raising their staffs. Because of this, they seem to forget and pay less attention to Takeshi, who was tied up at the back of the room.

The hidden assailant kept moving swiftly through the shadows, silently avoiding their detection. The group tensed as they all tried to spot her, but results were fruitless.

Suddenly, the attacker decided to make her move as she leaped out of the shadows and targeted one of the men with the best opening. The man in the robe didn't get the chance to react as a blade slashed across his body, making the man scream out in pain and fall onto the floor.

The other men screamed out in shock, but were soon caught off guard when their attacker dived onto the ground, causing it to rupture into a small crater, making all the men lose their balance. It was then a flurry of blades came to the group, each slice cutting into them and able to take them down. They all fell onto the ground while writhing in pain, unable to move on anymore.

Seeing that she managed to deal with her targets, she nodded to herself as she checked her surroundings. Her ears then picked up ruffling sounds, and readied her blades as she slowly moved forward towards the source.

It was to her surprise to see someone sitting there tied up with a bag over his head.

Seeing that he is just a victim, she simply sighed as she knelt down to him and cut the ropes holding him. She then loosened the bag over his head and managed to take it off. She then lifted the bag off of his head, and the two made eye contact with each other.

"...Asuka-chan!?" Takeshi exclaimed with surprise.

"Takeshi-kun!?" Asuka mirrored his response as well.

The two stared at each other with shock with their jaws slightly dropped. But after a short moment of silence, Takeshi stood up and took a good look at Asuka.

She appeared to be wearing a uniform composed of a yellow vest over a white shirt, and a green plaid skirt to match her tie. Paired with it are black thigh high socks with brown loafers, and on each arm is a guard with bandages beneath them. On her waist are straps to hold her swords, and wore a short red scarf.

It was then at the same time, the two asked each other the same question.

""What are you doing here!?"" the two asked each other in shock.

Both caught off guard by the question, they went into a short moment of silence, before Takeshi was the first to speak.

"I was delivering a package and was suddenly kidnapped! What are you doing here!?" Takeshi told and asked her.

"I-I...wait, why why are you delivering a package of all things!?" Asuka questioned.

"I was doing it for a favor of a friend of mine due to delivering difficulties. I don't mean to be rude, but you still haven't answered my question." Takeshi told her with a confused frown.

"W-Well...it's kind of complicated to answer..." Asuka said while fidgeting around, trying to figure out an answer. Takeshi looked at his friend with a confused expression, before he sighed.

"I don't think this is the time to talk about this. We should get out of here-" Takeshi said, before they heard loud footsteps and and the door banging open.

The two turned around to see a bunch of other hooded figures coming into the room, this time greater in number than last time.

"There they are!" one of the robed men shouted.

"Eliminate the intruder!"

"All of you, line up and prepare to fire!"

The robed figures in the front lined up and raised their staffs, and the ends glowed with energy. When Takuya saw this, his eyes widened.

"They're Magicians...!" Takeshi said in shock.

"Oh no...!" Asuka exclaimed as she looked between them and Takeshi. Seeing this incoming, she could only turn to him with a warning.

"Get down-!" Asuka tried to warn, coming in to push him to get out of the way. However, it was to her surprise when Takeshi raised his arm and a flash appeared in his hand.

The magicians fired a barrage of fireballs towards them, engulfing the two in a fiery explosion. Smoke erupted from the explosion, making the area hard to see. The group stayed silent as they watched their attack finish, and lowered their stances.

"Well, we got them." the magician spoke up as he turned to the rest of the group. "We better get out before-"

 **"Pulse Bullet!"**

The group of Magician cried out in shock as they were caught off guard by a barrage of magic bullets towards them, some of them falling to the ground due to the injuries they had all over their bodies.

The Magicians who managed to escape harm turned around and they all gasped in surprise to see that their targets were still standing.

Both Takeshi and Asuka were still standing unharmed. Asuka looked at Takeshi with surprise on her expression as he held his staff forward with a magic barrier in front of them and a magic circle ready to deploy more bullets. The magic barrier soon shattered.

"A Magician!?" one of them shouted in surprise.

"Asuka-chan...I don't know what is going on, but all I can tell right now is that we have to defend ourselves, right?" Takeshi told her while narrowing his eyes in focus towards the group of Magicians. Asuka stared at him for a few moments, before she shook her head to focus.

"Right. We can talk about this later. Right now..." Asuka said as she raised her two blades, which appeared to be a pair of wakazashi.

"Right. We gotta beat these guys." Takeshi responded while looking at his surroundings.

'The room isn't that enclosed. It's rather open enough to be considered a small warehouse. So there is mobility to move around in. Yet at the same time, it's a bit small to be considered maneuverable to move around in. I can count up to probably 15-20 Magicians. The front casted fireballs, so long range combat is a given...' Takeshi analyzed, and gave a small frown.

'Looking at the situation, we're greatly outnumbered, giving us a disadvantage. The only way to change this is to quickly shave down the numbers or increase our numbers. I don't think Asuka-chan and I are capable of shaving them down that fast. So the only thing to do is...' Takeshi thought, before his eyes widened a bit in realization.

He then nodded to himself as he held out his other hand forward and summoned the Whip of the King of Horses, his Sacred Gear. Raising it up, he then whipped it down.

'I got one horse in mind for an enclosed space like this!' Takeshi thought as he activated his Sacred Gear

A flash of light soon appeared in the room, making everyone stop upon the sudden light burst. As the light died down, they looked and they looked surprised upon what they saw.

It was a tall muscular creature with muscular arms and and horse-like legs. It had the head of a horse, yet at the same time the body of a man, yet having horse legs as its lower appendages. It was currently in leather armor with feathers having off on the ends.

There were startled noises made from the group upon the sight of the creature before them, and Takeshi looked at the creature he summoned with a slightly surprised look.

'...I can't believe it worked...!' Takeshi thought, and nodded to himself as he then pointed forward towards the group.

"Take them down, Tikbalang!" Takeshi commanded the the creature.

The summoned neighed loudly as it bent its legs, and then sprung forth with a frightening amount of speed towards the Magicians. The Magicians all cried out in surprise as they all directed their attention towards the horse.

Some aimed their spells towards the creature, but its agile speed was enough to avoid them, keeping them all on their toes.

'As long as it is horse related, it doesn't matter what shape or form they come in...' Takeshi thought as he looked at the humanoid horse before him.

The Tikbalang is part of Filipino mythology, and it has a rather gruesome and dark backstory to this kind of horse, if it should be called that. This humanoid horse is born from the spirit of an angered aborted baby. It's main purpose is to guard forests and trick travellers into getting lost. But the gruesome part about them is that they lure travellers into a trap and proceed to devour them. However, they can be tamed if you manage to pluck 3 golden hairs from its mane before it eats you, and they will continue to serve you until you die.

Thankfully, with the Whip of the King of Horses, it seems that he doesn't need to do either of those methods to tame it, and the fact that it doesn't have a personality so the horse may or may not have malicious feelings towards him.

The demonic horse was now rampaging amongst the group, causing them all panic and focus their efforts onto it.

"Asuka-chan, while we have our chance!" Takeshi told her, and raised his staff towards her. " **Reflex Boost!** "

Asuka was surprised when a yellow aura overcame her, and felt her senses rather heightened to an extent.

"What did you...?" Asuka asked in surprise.

"I've heightened your reflex abilities. You appear to be a close range fighter, so I thought it would be best for you to boost your reflexes and avoid their attack." Takeshi explained to her.

Asuka looked at the aura that surrounded her, and turned to Takeshi with a small smile on her face and nodded at him.

"Thanks!" Asuka responded as she sped forward towards the group with her blades ready.

As she entered into the fray, Takeshi focused on his efforts now.

'Tikbalang and Asuka-chan are now gaining their attention. Tikbalang is ramapging amongst them, causing some chaos. Asuka-chan seems like the quick attack type if her speed and blades say anything. But even so...' Takeshi thought, before his eyes landed on a Magician standing a good distance away from the two and aiming his staff towards them.

'I'll provide cover fire!' Takeshi thought, before he pointed his staff towards the Magician.

"...I didn't put enough practice into this, but I guess now is a good time to put them to the test!" Takeshi thought to himself, before he raised his staff.

Holding his hand up, a large **Pulse Bullet** appeared in front of him. The large magic bullet then broke up into smaller bullets and orbited around him.

" **Asteroid!** " Takeshi then shot forth his magic projectiles towards the Magician, making him cry out in surprise and pain when caught by the barrage, making him fall to the ground in pain.

"Shit! We forgot about the Magician! Everyone, barrier formation on the brat!" one of the Magicians shouted out.

Hearing this command, some of the Magicians managed to get away from the two close combatants and made a formation in front of Takeshi. Five of them lined up and formed a rectangular barrier in front of them.

'Combining all shields together, making it hard for me to break it with my power alone...' Takeshi saw but then noticed a flaw in their formation.

It's that they're not covered from behind. Seeing this, Takeshi fired up another spell that he managed to modify off of the **Pulse Bullet**.

'You're not covered from behind!' Takeshi saw the opening as he held up his staff once more.

" **Viper!** " Takeshi fired multiple bullets towards them. The group of Magicians readed themselves for the impact on their shields. However, they weren't able to see the true purpose of the spell he used.

As soon as Viper neared their shields, the projectiles changed course as it rose up, surprise the Magicians. They looked up, only to see the bullets change direction once more as it headed straight. It then headed downwards, making the bullets appear behind them.

It was all too late when the bullets then changed its trajectory towards them, heading them in the back.

"AHH!" the group of Magicians cried out in pain as they collapsed to the ground with the damage dealt to them.

"Damn it! I'll take you out in one shot!" the Magician who commanded the group raised his staff, and a large fireball appeared above him. Takeshi's eyes widened at the sight of the spell before him.

'This is what a powerful fire spell looks like! It's brighter in person...' Takeshi thought with a bit of awe, before he slightly shook his head. He needed to focus rather than fawning over the magic that these Magicians were able to perform.

Seeing that this spell was a fireball, he knew that the only way to fight this was either three ways: a) shield; b) dodge; c) counter it with another spell.

Option A seemed risky, as the large fireball can break through his shield and burn him. Something he didn't want.

Option B sounded smart, but the explosion from the fire could possibly get him.

Option C was both risky and smart. He can protect himself from the blast and explosion by countering it with another spell on the same level, yet if he fails, he could end up getting injured.

His Enchanter spells seriously lacked fire power against the spell. He would be in trouble if he went with Option C.

That is what he would think if he didn't receive tutelage from Sona.

Seeing his options, Takeshi raised his staff and prepared another spell from his Pulse Bullet.

" **Meteora!** " Takeshi fired a basketball sized magic bullet towards the incoming fireball.

The large fireball and the basketball sized magic bullet collided with each other. But much to the Magician's shock, Takeshi's spell soon glowed intensely.

It was then followed up by a large explosion that shook the room a bit, catching everyone off guard as smoke went everywhere. Takeshi squinted his eyes upon the smoke entering the room, and narrowed his eyes in concentration as he focused on something.

"D-Damn you...!" the Magician coughed. He then raised his staff once more to fire another spell at him. However, his ears soon picked up lough neighing noises. Turning his head, he was only greeted with the size of a large fist crashing into his face, sending the man flying and into the wall and collapsing to the floor out cold.

The smoke cleared up, and Takeshi's horse was standing there with its arm stretched outward. When Takeshi saw this, he nodded to himself. It would seem like mental communication between him and his horse was possible, making up a lot of strategies that Takeshi could make with this.

The horse gave a low neigh, before it turned its attention back to the other group and leaped into action once more.

And it seems that the horse wasn't the only one causing trouble among the group.

Asuka spun through the air and then managed to slash another one of the Magicians, effectively taking him down. She then moved swiftly as the managed to avoid the incoming magic projectiles. As she quickly moved, she quickly spotted three Magicians lining up and preparing a spell. Seeing this, she saw a chance. She quickly moved in on the three Magicians, and her two blades soon glowed with green energy.

" **Hanzo Style: Full Bloom!** " Asuka swung her swords down onto the ground, causing the ground to shake before three earth columns popped out of the ground and slammed onto the Magicians, making them cry out in pain and sent flying away.

"S-Shit! We're dealing with monsters here!" one of the last few Magicians shouted.

"R-Retreat!"

"Run!"

A Magician then blasted a hole in the wall, leading to outside. The remaining Magicians used this to flee from the scene, firing spells as they ran out.

"Oh no!" Asuka cried out as she avoided an incoming lightning bolt.

Tikbalang neighed as it raised its arms to block an incoming magic blast, getting injured in the process but still standing.

Seeing this, Takeshi decided one more spell was time to finish this. He pointed his staff towards the hole in the wall.

" **Hound!** " Takeshi fired off multiple magic bullets from his staff towards the hole in the wall. The bullets headed towards the wall, and then proceeded to go off into different directions.

A short moment later, pained screams were made. Takeshi and Asuka headed outside to see what happened, and they saw escaping Magicians all down on the floor in pain.

Takeshi pushed up his glasses and nodded to himself upon seeing his spell, **Hound** , work. **Hound** is a spell that is able to act as homing projectiles. It seems that they worked just fine.

Asuka gave out a relieved sigh as she saw that anyone didn't escape.

"Thank goodness, I thought they would escape. Thanks Takeshi-kun." Asuka sent a thankful smile towards her companion.

"No problem." Takeshi responded with a smile of his own, before it fell into a frown as he looked at the Magicians on the ground.

"Who exactly are these people anyway? They're able to cast magic, making them Magicians. But what made them act like this...?" Takeshi wondered.

"I'm afraid they're Stray Magicians. Magicians were expelled from the Magician Council for their crimes and deeds." Asuka answered him, making Takeshi frown upon hearing this.

'So these guys committed crimes? As a Magician no less...' Takeshi thought, a bit troubled upon seeing how the world of Magicians have criminals. "I see..."

"Yeah..." Asuka said with a frown, before she reached into her pocket and took out a phone. She then typed a few things on it, and waited for a response. She soon received one, and nodded to herself.

"Alright, it seems we're done here." Asuka said with a smile. "I just told Jii-chan what happened, and the Magician Council will be here to take care of the rest." Asuka told him, making Takeshi blink at her.

"The Magician Council? And Hanzo?" Takeshi asked with a bit of surprise and confusion. Asuka couldn't help but give a sheepish smile.

"I-It's a long story. Let's talk about it on our way home."

* * *

 **(Road)**

The two left scene and left the rest to the Magician Council, and they soon made their way home. It was night time, so they couldn't catch a train back home. Thankfully, Takeshi's Sacred Gear was able to help in this case.

The two were currently sitting on a rather long horse on their way to Kuoh. Normally, it would be impossible and inconvenient for both the horse and riders, as a horse can usually hold just one person, even if it was a legendary horse like Bucephalus.

Thankfully, there was another horse that can solve this case.

Introducing Bayard, the magical bay horse told from Chanson de geste, an epic poem from the dawn of French Literature. This supposed fabled horse had the ability to change its size to fit the number and size of his riders. Bayard was once able to carry four people on it at the same time.

Carrying two people, such as Takeshi and Asuka, was a cakewalk for the magic horse.

"So you're actually a ninja. Wow..." Takeshi said with amazement as he looked at Asuka, who was sitting behind him and holding onto him so she wouldn't fall off. Her rather well developed chest area pressed against his back, but Takeshi paid it no heed as he focused on other things.

"Yeah, hard to believe, huh...?" Asuka said while scratching the back of her head.

"Not really. I just never expected you to be one..." Takeshi commented before giving a thoughtful look.

As said earlier, Asuka is actually a ninja, or shinobi if you want to go with another name. She and her grandfather Hanzo come from a long lineage of ninja that dated back to feudal Japan, making her the current generation of the shinobi lineage.

Supposedly, there were a lot ninja back in the feudal Japan. However, as time passed, so did Japan and their need of samurai and ninja. As a result, both of them slowly faded away, never to be used and seen again.

However, there is still some surviving lineages of samurai and ninja as they continue on to this day. Asuka just happened to be one of them.

And believe it or not, some of the supernatural factions rely on these ninjas for their covert operations or to clean up some work that is left on Japan. So in a way, the Shinobi were still of use to this day, only to be used by the supernatural rather than normal man.

It was because of this that led Asuka to taking care of the Magicians and meeting Takeshi. The Magician Council hired Hanzo to track down their Stray Magicians, so they could come in and arrest them. Hanzo agreed to this, but had his granddaughter do the work, as he couldn't due to his old age and retirement.

It was only natural, considering that Hanzo personally trains her to become an appropriate Shinobi.

Thus leading up to now.

"I could say the same thing. I never knew you were a Magician Takeshi-kun." Asuka told him. Takeshi chuckled in response.

"Well, it couldn't be helped. We need to hide our occupations from the public." Takeshi told her.

"I guess that's true..." Asuka acknowledged, but then gave a smile towards him. "Well, at least the cat is out of the bag now. So what's done is done I guess." Asuka told him.

"Yeah. I couldn't agree more." Takeshi nodded, before he looked ahead and saw Kuoh just up ahead. "Well, looks like we'll be at Kuoh in a few minutes."

"Aw...it's actually quite interesting riding a horse. And we could've talked more about what we did..." Asuka pouted. Takeshi chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure we can talk about it some other time. I'll be sure to visit your resturaunt sometime." Takeshi told her, making Asuka give a small excited smile towards him.

"Yeah! I don't know what being a Magician is like, so what better way is to hear it from you." Asuka told him, making Takeshi nod at her.

"And you better tell me what a Shinobi does in the shadows." Takeshi told her.

* * *

 **(Lubbock's Hideout)**

After dropping off Asuka at the sushi restaurant, he decided to go to Lubbock and tell the news what happened between him and the Stray Magicians that he fought.

The reaction was quite natural in Takeshi's opinion.

"Ahhhhh! You're joking! So all of that was a fraud!?" Lubbock shouted with a distraught tone while clutching the sides of his head. Takeshi couldn't help but look down and scratch the back of his head.

"I'm afraid so." Takeshi said with grimace.

It was at that point that Lubbock collapsed onto the floor on his knees and hands with a depressed air around him.

"Damn it...my luck is all kinds of bad. It was bad enough that I couldn't deliver it the normal way. Now I didn't even get anything out of it..." Lubbock muttered in depression.

Takeshi could only kneel next to Lubbock and pat him on the shoulder to comfort him.

"It is quite a shame." Lisbeth commented as she sighed while putting her hands on her hips. "And after some much work we did to get that item and sell it. Only to have some criminals planning to steal it."

"Yeah...that is unexpected." Takeshi commented. It was then Lisbeth gave a heavy sigh.

"Geez, we didn't get the best of starts, huh?" Lisbeth stated.

"Yeah..." Lubbock muttered, and sighed as he sat on the ground. "Even businesses have their bad days. I honestly didn't expect to hit us so early."

"I agree. But I guess you have to try again and hope for the best one more time." Takeshi told Lubbock, making him shrug.

"Maybe. Who knows?" Lubbock said uncaringly, and stood up and offered Takeshi an apologetic look.

"But still. You took the brunt of all of this. I've dumped all of this responsibility onto you, only for you to be kidnapped and be almost held hostage if it weren't for the help of your ninja friend. You're the one who dealt with the most trouble." Lubbock told him. Takeshi offered an understanding smile.

"Don't worry about me. You should worry more about you and your business Lubbock." Takeshi told him.

"Dude, practice what you preach. You should worry about yourself as well. Seriously, it's indirectly my fault that I put you through all of this. Therefore, I think it's only natural that I make it up to you." Lubbock told him as he walked towards his table.

"Oh no, you don't have to Lubbock. Really." Takeshi tried to persuade Lubbock to stop, but he had none of it. He was then offered the same box that he had to deliver to the Stray Magicians.

"What...?" Takeshi said with surprise as he looked at the box before him.

"Take it. I owe you big time, so here." Lubbock told him.

"L-Lubbock! You shouldn't do this! This item could seriously help you with your business!" Takeshi tried to reason with his friend.

"Dude, just take it. I'm not going to take no for an answer, just like how you did the same to me when I told you my troubles." Lubbock told him with a flat look. Takeshi flinched upon hearing that reasoning.

"W-Well, I did it because-" Takeshi tried to counter, but Lubbock shoved it into his arms and then proceeded to push him out of the room.

"For the love of God, stop being so modest and just take it already! Seriously, learn to be a bit greedy sometimes! Now get out of here and go home and enjoy what you have!" Lubbock told him as he continued to push Takeshi out of his hideout.

"W-Wait! You don't need to push!" Takeshi tried to protest as he was pushed out of the room.

Lisbeth could only sigh as she watched the two leave the room.

"I swear, he and Lubbock are so similar yet different." Lisbeth said with a bit of a tired tone.

* * *

 **(Home)**

Erika was drinking a sweet beverage as she was in her tank top and sweatpants while having a towel around her neck.

"Man, that was a good workout. Couldn't get lazy by staying in this house all day." Erika said, and her ears picked up the front door opening. She then saw Takeshi walk past her in a tired manner.

"Yo, welcome back!" Erika greeted with a wave of her hand. However, Takeshi just gave a tired sigh and look as he walked past her.

"I'm going to bed..." Takeshi moaned tiredly as he made his way up the stairs to his room.

Erika watched as he made his way to his room, before she could only shrug and walk towards the TV.

"Wonder what happened to him?"

* * *

 **And that's a wrap to this chapter!**

 **I gotta tell ya, I had a lot of inspiration and fun come to me when I was writing this chapter.**

 **For visual help on Tikbalang, here is the link:**

 **Simply put in the the Devianart web adress, and then add this:** **art/Tikbalang-s-Challenge-280514291**

* * *

 **(Branching Out)**

 **This wasn't my main intention to actually branch out from the spells that I had in the Enchanter spell list, but after some careful consideration, I found it is very useful in Takeshi's offense set.**

 **His Pulse Bullet has managed to evolve further into something special, and found a loophole in his limitations. So long as the spell is under the Enchanter class, it will be casted. The foundation of the spell is the same, but with new tweaks and additions, it can turn into different types of spells. That is a loophole he found in his limitations.**

 **So as a result, he has managed to create new spells based off of the Pulse Bullet spell: Asteroid, Hound, Viper, and Meteora. These four spells are actually used from my favorite Sci-Fi Shounen Manga known as World Trigger.**

 **For those who don't know, here is how the spells work:**

 **1) Asteroid**

 **The basic form of the modified Pulse Bullet. What makes this more special than the base spell is that its power, speed, and range can be greatly adjusted and changed. For example, an Asteroid can contain a lot of power, but slow in speed and range. Another can be highly fast, but a decrease in power and range. Or an Asteroid can travel very far, but its power and speed is lacking.**

 **2) Hound**

 **Hound is when a Pulse Bullet can pursue its target, like a homing projectile.**

 **3) Viper**

 **Viper is where the trajectory and paths is manipulated. This spell is very useful in guiding the bullet where to go.**

 **4) Meteora**

 **A Pulse Bullet that is rather explosive.**

* * *

 **(Asuka)**

 **If you guys didn't know already, Asuka is from the infamous japanese video game known as Senran Kagura. Yes, she is indeed from that game.**

 **Now, I understand that High School DxD is also ecchi as well. However, to me, it seems that Senran Kagura takes it to a whole other level IMO. After seeing this, I've decided to tone down on the "ecchi" element and actually focus on the "action" part of Asuka from Senran Kagura.**

 **So yeah, I've decided to put her into the story. And she play multiple roles in the future, so she is quite important to the story.**

 **Also, the world of Senran Kagura does not exist in the DxD world. So that means there is no shinobi school, no evil ninja, and especially no mythological enemies and stuff like that. I wouldn't put it past me that other Senran Kagura characters are going to show up. It all depends on what I feel like. But please know that not other Senran Kagura characters are going to show up. Or Asuka's other companions are going to show up.**

 **So yeah, that is who Asuka is.**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	8. The Lancer

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other elements**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The Lancer**

 **(Kuoh Academy)**

Takeshi waved to his fellow classmate as he left the library, recently finished with tutoring one of them. Sighing in content, he decided to make his way home and go with his usual training schedule

He is starting to get used to the training now that he thought about it. His body isn't as feeling as sore as it was the first time.

But even so, his body won't get another break any time soon if yesterday said anything about it. At lot of events have transpired since that day, with him going off to deliver a package for his friend Lubbock, only to end up being kidnapped and held hostage. And shortly after, his childhood friend Asuka came in and saved him unknowingly, and discovered that she is a ninja along the process.

He gave a small thought if the Greek God Nemesis is out balancing his luck right now. He doesn't remember having too much good luck, but he keeps on getting bad luck. Then again, he isn't Greek and he is Japanese...

...Maybe the Seven Lucky Gods aren't there for him...

Whatever the case, the only thing Takeshi can acknowledge is that while he isn't the one to look for trouble, trouble will look out for him.

As he neared the entrance, he noticed a group of male students whispering to each other as they all gave glances towards a certain direction. Looking at their direction, he could only blink upon who he saw.

Asuka, who was in her attire like yesterday, was standing at the side of the school entrance gate, looking around while trying to avoid eye contact with everyone.

Recognizing her, he could only wave his arm at her and call out to her.

"Hey, Asuka-chan!" Takeshi called out to his friend, unaware of the consequences of his actions.

This caused many eyes to be turned to him, which he didn't even notice. He didn't even notice how there were whispers breaking out as he headed towards Asuka.

"Oh, Takeshi-kun!" Asuka smiled and greeted as she turned to him.

"What are you doing here? You are usually working at the sushi bar." Takeshi told her.

"Normally, that is the case. But ever since last night, Jii-chan wanted to talk to you." Asuka explained, making him blink in surprise.

"Really? Hanzo wants to talk with me?" Takeshi asked, making Asuka silently nod at him.

"...Well alright then. I'm don't have anything else to do." Takeshi told her, using this as an excuse to get a break from the exercise.

Ignorant of the stares and whispers, the two walked off.

* * *

 **(Sushi Shop)**

"Jii-chan, we're here." Asuka called out to her grandfather as she and Takeshi entered into the sushi shop.

"Ah, you two are here." Hanzo said to the two as he was behind the sushi counter.

"Hello Hanzo-san." Takeshi greeted while giving a friendly wave.

The two then sat down in front of the elder as Hanzo hummed in thought while looking at Takeshi with a thoughtful look. After some silence, he decided to speak up.

"So, do you know who we truly are now Takeshi-kun?" Hanzo asked. Takeshi nodded.

"Yes. You know who I am, right?" Takeshi asked. Hanzo nodded in return.

"Indeed. I will admit, I never expected a friend of my granddaughter to be a Magician of all people. Then again, we have lived with Devils over the years, so I shouldn't be too surprised upon this development." Hanzo stated with a musing tone. Takeshi chuckled a bit on that.

"I know, right? I've been discovering a lot of new things, and I've been in this area for quite a while now." Takeshi agreed.

"Yes yes..." Hanzo nodded. "Now, I certainly didn't call you here for a social talk. What I wanted to talk about is what happened last night."

Hearing those words from Hanzo, Takeshi couldn't help but frown upon the subject.

"Oh yes...those Stray Magicians that attacked us that night." Takeshi confirmed. Hanzo nodded at him.

"Yes. The Magician Council contacted me about their Stray Magicians, and wanted me to take them in and have the Magician Council take over from there. Unfortunately, it seems you were caught up into their schemes. It was very fortunate that my granddaughter was there to help you." Hanzo told him, making Takehsi give a thankful smile towards his friend.

"Yeah. I really owe you for what you did for me last night." Takeshi told her, making Asuka wave her hands a a bit.

"No, it really is no problem! In fact, I am glad I was there to help you!" Asuka tried to wave off the thanks.

"Indeed." Hanzo spoke up. "My granddaughter is like you, sharing the same passion in helping people. But the difference between you and her is that you help people openly and directly, while she works in the shadows to ensure their safety." Hanzo said with a wise tone.

"Well, it is part of a shinobi life." Takeshi replied with a small smile.

"True." Hanzo remarked. "Now then, I believe we can move onto the second part of our conversation. I want to thank you for assisting my granddaughter in her mission. Sometimes, she does meet up with some difficulties when she is doing her missions..." Hanzo told Takeshi

"Jii-chan...!" Asuka cutely whined and complained as she blushed a bit. Hanzo simply chuckled at her.

"Do not frett, you are still young. You are bound to meet a few troubles along the path." Hanzo told her, making Asuka pout at him.

"But I want to be a successful shinobi just like you..." Asuka told her grandfather. Hanzo simply nodded in understanding in return.

"And you will. But that will take time. And you still have plenty of it." Hanzo told her, before he turned to Takeshi.

"Now then, since we are aware of both of our occupations, I suppose we can start this off with a friendly meal welcome. To a more open relationship." Hanzo told him as he reached down and placed a plate of spicy tuna roll in front of Takeshi. The young Magician looked at the plate with surprise.

"R-Really? Are you sure? I mean I can-" Takeshi tried to tell the elder man, but he simply laughed merrily as he walked away from him.

"Now now, don't be modest! Consider it a gift for helping my granddaughter!" Hanzo told him as he walked away.

Takeshi tried to tell the man, but it only came out in constrained noises. After a short moment, he just sighed as he slumped. Asuka simply patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

"Don't worry about it Takeshi-kun. Just accept it. Jii-chan is really thankful for you helping me." Asuka reassured him.

"Y-Yeah, but a simple thank you would've been enough..." Takeshi said while giving off a small bashful smile.

"Well, I think a plate of sushi doesn't hurt as well." Asuka returned. Takeshi's lip twitched as he looked at the plate of sushi before him. He then sighed in defeat.

"...Fine. You guys win." Takeshi said with a defeated tone, before he looked at Asuka with a curious look.

"So about those stories as a shinobi..."

* * *

 **(Park)**

"Crap crap crap! I stayed over too long! Erika is going to crank up my exercise for sure!" Takeshi panicked as he ran through the park.

He realized this as soon as he left the sushi shop, and currently rushing towards home at top speed. So he decided to take the shortcut home, and that is through the park.

He was sorely tempted to use a horse to get him home faster, but he then realized that it might be strange to see a horse in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, attracting unwanted attention. So he decided to go on foot.

Running through the park, Takeshi couldn't help but remember that night when he encountered that Fallen Angel here, and so many things were revealed before him, making all the events that eventually lead up to his current situation.

'Some memories...' Takeshi mentally commented as he continued on running, and he couldn't help but smile a bit to himself.

"Well, at least the park are safe to cross through..." Takeshi commented aloud to himself.

 _CRASH!_

A loud banging noise echoed from Takeshi's right ear, and he turned his head, only to see a some unidentifiable shape heading his way as is plowed through its surroundings. And it didn't look like it was stopping anytime soon.

 **[...You had to tempt fate. Not really the smartest thing to say...]** Jingzhu commented with a rather flat tone, despite the situation they're in.

It felt like reality slowed for Takeshi as he watched some sort of shape he couldn't exactly process in the moment close in on him. But just as the figure closed in on him, another figures soon popped out and hit the first figure from the side, sending it flying into another direction. All in a single moment.

Takeshi couldn't help but blink in surprise upon what just happened, and then finally had the sense to focus on reality. Looking around, he saw two figures around here.

The first appeared to be some sort of rocky figure. It didn't have organic flesh or anything. It's entire being is made up of some dirty gray earth material. It had a cylinder-like head. It's teeth were designed to be flat and rectangular, and it only looked like the upper part. It had two robotic eyes, one glowing and the other not. It's upper body is also cylinder, with two robotic arms sticking out of it.

But the most outstanding features was its lower body. It's body was completely designed like a spring. This golem like monster didn't have legs, but rather a spring to move around.

So he appears to be dealing with some golem like construct the appeared to be attacking him.

His eyes moved to another figure, and he blinked in surprise to see the person before him looking human.

The figure appeared to be a girl who is old enough to be a freshman at a high school. She has golden-brown eyes and shoulder length black hair with a fringe around the eyes and bangs either side of her face. She was currently wearing a white school sailor uniform with a blue collar and blue skirt with a plaid pattern on it.

What made her most interesting about her is that she currently held some sort of spear that radiated some kind of energy. It felt familiar, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

All in all, whoever saved him appeared to be a teenage girl.

This teenage girl then turned to Takeshi with a serious expression.

"Please get out of here! It is too dangerous for you to be here!" the girl warned as she turned her attention back to the golem before her. She hefted her spear and prepared herself for the upcoming battle. She didn't make the first move as she kept a careful eye on the enemy.

Takeshi's eyes looked back and forth between her and the rocky monster before him, before his mind clicked on one thing.

'This girl belongs to the supernatural world.' Takeshi thought, and then looked back at the monster before him.

'And that thing attempted to harm me. And if she protected me...' Takeshi thought, before he decided to take a step forward and stepped next to the girl. The girl looked at him in surprise.

"What are you-!?"

She was cut off when Takeshi summoned his staff and held it in front of him. Pointing his staff forward, he pushed up his glasses.

"You can use a hand in this one." Takeshi merely told her as he focused on the golem before him. The girl looked at him with widened eyes, before she decided that it was best to ask questions later, and wordlessly turned her attention back to the monster before them.

'Based on the design and recent actions of the monster, it appears that its designed to be aerodynamically agile and fast. I'm not sure how agile she is, but it's best not to take chances...' Takeshi thought, before he nodded at the best course of action.

" **Thorn Bind Hostage!** " Takeshi cast his spell as magical thorns sprung from the ground and wrapped around its target, immobilizing the the golem-like monster before them. He then pointed his staff towards his supposed ally in this fight.

" **Keen Edge!** " Takeshi then enhanced the spear that his ally had, making it glow with white energy. The girl wielding it gave a small noise of surprise, seeing what happened to her spear. Turning her head to him, he merely nodded at her.

"I'm just setting up the winning situation! Finish it off!" Takeshi told the girl. The girl's expression hardened a bit in focus and nodded, and readied her spear.

The girl then sprung forward towards the monster. The monster attempted to escape, but the thorns were finely holding it in place. Before it could do anything else, the girl sliced her spear right through the golem like monster, also cutting the thorns in the process.

The monster was then engulfed in a bright magical explosion, taking all of the damage from the magical thorns.

When the explosion and flash finished, Takeshi and his ally looked at the monster before them. The rocklike being before them stood still, before cracks appeared all over its body. Soon, it collapsed into rubble, signifying its end.

Seeing that the battle is over, Takeshi gave out a breath of relief.

"Whew...glad that is over." Takeshi said with ease, lowering his stance.

 **[Surely you jest. Out of all the battles you had, this one is considered the shortest one.]** Jingzhu told him.

'Yeah, but there is always a relief of escaping danger...'

 **[*Sigh*...I suppose that is fair. In the mean time, I'm sure the girl looks like she is ready to talk about what happened.]** Jingzhu pointed out.

Indeed, the girl walked towards him with a neutral expression on her face, and gave a good look at him. Takeshi didn't really say anything and simply decided to let the girl speak first.

It was after a short moment of time that the girl decided to ask a question.

"...You are a Magician, correct?" the girl asked. Takeshi nodded at her.

"And based on the weapon you're wielding, I'm guessing your with some kind of Order or something?" Takeshi pointed out.

When you consider the supernatural, even the mystical side of humans do not fade away. Just as there is Magicians and their associations, Shinobi and their hidden business, it is possible to think that there are Knight Orders made for people who still wield the sword or any weapon in general.

The girl seems to fit the case.

"You can say that." the girl replied, before she gave a small smile and nod towards him. "In any case, thank you for the assistance. You've made it a lot easier for me to track down the Stray Devil." the girl told him, making him blink in surprise and turn to the rubble before them.

"That is a Stray Devil?" Takeshi said with surprise. The girl then puts on a complexed expression.

"Not exactly. To be more precise, it is a creation that is made by a Devil. From the looks of it, it could be some escaped test subject that the Devil created. But regardless, it was wreaking havoc and must be stopped, just like any other Stray Devil. So you can consider it a Stray Devil." the girl explained to him, making him go "ah" at this explanation.

"I see..." Takeshi said with understand and a nod. He then offered the girl a small smile.

"Well, I'm glad it is over. The name is Takeshi Fuyushima by the way, town's resident Magician. How about you?" Takeshi introduced himself.

The girl then offered a greeting smile in return.

"My name is Yukina Himeragi, Exorcist of the Eastern Orthodox Church." the girl, now known as Yukina, introduced herself. Takeshi blinked in surprise upon hearing her occupation.

"Exorcist? I'm surprised to see one in this town." Takeshi commented, but inwardly frowned.

Its strange to see an Exorcist, especially in a town like this. Kuoh was more or less under Devil territory, and considering the fact that the Church does not have the happiest relationship with Devils in general, it is strange to see an Exorcist in this town.

So this means this girl is here for certain purposes. Thankfully, it seems like Yukina was fine explaining a bit more about herself.

"Normally, yes, you don't see much Exorcist around the area. But I'm here on business." Yukina explained, before she frowned to herself. "Unfortunately, I got lost and separated from two other Exorcists of mine." Yukina explained, before she looked at him with a () look.

"Perhaps...do you know where the location is at? My comrade said something about visiting an old friend. I believe she had the address on this paper..." Yukina said as she took out a slip of paper and showed it to him.

Taking the paper and looking at it, Takeshi could only blink upon seeing the address.

"This address? I believe this is..."

* * *

 **(Later)**

"...Yep, this is the address." Takeshi said while looking at the home in front of him. The house looked your average residential house in Kuoh's neighborhood, but it was certainly the right address.

"I see..." Yukina said while looking at the house in front of her. She was currently holding some guitar case that actually held her spear, which is quite compact and easy to travel with.

Just as she finished saying that, the front door opened and two people walked out of the front door, both garbed in robes and had some kind of thing straped to their back and covered in tape.

 **[...Hoh? Now this is a type of energy that certainly stands out.]** Jingzhu commented with a thoughtful tone.

'...You mean those things straped to their backs?' Takeshi asked his horse riding teacher.

 **[Yes. I don't exactly have the knowledge about all the mythologies, but I believe it is...European.]** Jingzhu deduced.

Takeshi decided to talk about it later as he observed the scene before him.

"It was nice catching up with you! Be sure to come by soon! I'm sure our son will enjoy your company!" a middle aged woman called out to a certain young girl, who appeared to be around his age and had twin pony tails and chestnut hair.

The girl happily waved to the middle aged woman. "Right! I'll be sure to visit some time soon!" the girl chirped happily, before she turned to see both Takeshi and Yukina standing at the front gate. Her eyes brightened with recognition.

"Oh, Yukina-san! You're here!" the girl happily said as she walked towards her, followed along by her companion, who appeared to have chin-length blue hair.

"Yes. We thought we lost you after you were gone for a while." the other girl told her, before she noticed Takeshi and gave him a quiet gaze.

"Y-Yes, but I found some trouble and took care of it. Luckily, I had Takeshi-san-" Yukina said as she gestured to Takeshi, who was quietly observing their interaction. "-serve as a support and guide to get here." Yukina explained

"Ah, I see! Well in that case, thank you so much for your help! I'm sure the Lord will take in your kind act!" the girl happily said, making him blink at her statement.

"Urm...no problem." Takeshi said, unsure on how to respond to this rather religious girl. It was then the blue haired girl looked up at the sky and frowned.

"We should get going now. It is getting late." the girl told her chestnut haired companion, making her expression turn into realization and surprise.

"Oh! You're right! We better get going now! Come on Yukina! We can tell you the details later!" the teenage girl told Yukina as she walked past and ahead of the group.

"You have my thanks." the blue hair girl thanked him in a calm manner as she walked past him. Yukina then turned to him and gave a bow of thanks to him.

"Thank you for your help. I'll be sure to return the favor next time we meet." Yukina told him as she followed her other companions.

"No problem. Take care." Takeshi said as he waved to the retreating form of group. Just as he was about to turn and walk back home, his ears picked up a familiar voice.

"Takeshi? Is that you!?" the voice said with surprise.

Takeshi turned his head, and blinked upon who he saw.

"...Issei?"

* * *

 **(Issei's Bedroom)**

Issei's mother was kind and hospitable enough to let him in the house and let him talk to her son. So with permission to enter the household and having Issei lead Takeshi to his room, along with Asia, the three of them sat together in the room.

"I'm surprise to see you here. I normally don't see you go through this neighborhood..." Issei told him while scratching the back of his head.

"I don't. I just guided someone here to find her friends. I'm guessing those two who visited your home we're with Himeragi-san." Takeshi answered him, before he offered a small smile towards Asia.

"Hello Asia-san. How are you doing? Based on our last meeting, you seem a lot better." Takeshi greeted the blonde girl. Asia blinked a bit in confusion.

"U-Um..." Asia said while trying to remember her encounter with him.

"Hey, Asia, this is the guy who helped you from those Fallen Angels! He was very helpful in our time of need!" Issei told her while giving smile towards him. Takeshi gave off a small bashful look while scratching the back of his head.

"C'mon, I wasn't that helpful..." Takeshi tried to play off modestly, but Issei simply ignored his words.

"Oh! So you are the one who helped me and Ise-san! Thank you very much!" Asia gratefully said while bowing in thanks. Takeshi's cheeks went a bit red because of it.

"R-Really, it's no big deal..." Takeshi said while averting his gaze somewhere else. He then felt a slap on his back from Issei.

"C'mon! Just accept it! After everything you've done for us, you deserve it!" Issei told him. It was from that point that Takeshi couldn't help but sigh in defeat and scratch his cheek.

"If you say so..." Takeshi said hesitantly, before he gave a curious look towards Issei. "So...was there any reason why there were two Exorcists inside your house?" Takeshi asked, making Issei look at him with surprise.

"How did you-!?" Issei responded with surprise.

"Well, Himeragi-san saved me from this Stray Devil and we both fought together to defeat it. And then she told me about two other Exorcist in town, and considering the location I took her, I just connected the dots." Takeshi explained to him.

"O-Oh, so that's how you figured it out..." Issei responded while nodding in understanding. "Yeah, those two were Exorcist, and one of them happened to be my childhood friend..."

Takeshi inwardly winced upon that fact, seeing how Issei is a Devil and his own childhood friend is an Exorcist. That must put a lot of awkwardness and strain to their friendship. The young Magician decided it was best not to delve into the subject and just focus on moving to another.

"I see..., hey I just realized something. I haven't seen you in the past few days. I thought you were sick, but I've heard some rumors about the Occult Research Club going on some trip or something." Takeshi told Issei, making the Pawn blink upon the subject.

"Oh, that. It's kind of a long story..." Issei said while going back to the memories.

"I'm all ears." Takeshi offered a small smile to Issei. Issei gave a small laugh while giving off an bashful expression.

"W-Well, it all began with Buchou breaking into my room and her asking for my..." Issei began explaining his story.

It was then Takeshi learned he wasn't the only one to experience a lot of events in a short period of time. And suffice to say, Issei's story seems a lot more dramatic and troubling than his own recent events.

* * *

 **(Home)**

It was night time when Takeshi returned home and abruptly opened the door in a hurried manner while panting. He was greeted with the sight of Erika standing in front of him while folding her arms and giving him a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you look like you had an eventful evening." Erika commented.

However, Takeshi didn't show any fear or hesitance towards her presence. Instead, he gave her a worried look.

"...We've got Exorcists in town."

* * *

 **(The Next Day - Classroom)**

Takeshi sighed as he stared out the window of his classroom with a thoughtful look. Memories still played through his head since that night he met Yukina and other Exorcists, and it made his mind run through a lot of things.

He kept on wondering why the Exorcist arrive in this town now of all times? And why exactly approach this place, when this place is clearly Devil territory. One thing for sure is that there is a purpose for the Exorcist being here, and it's certainly isn't a small one.

Takeshi gave a quiet sigh once more as he took a bite of his onigiri. He could already tell that trouble is coming up ahead.

 _SLAM!_

And speaking of trouble...

Takeshi blinked as he looked up, only to see angry glares made at him. He recognized the two upon their signature features. Those big glasses and that bald head.

"...Can I help you?" Takeshi asked with a confused tone, equally expressed by his expression as well.

"What's the big idea Fuyushima!? We thought that you were just like the rest of us!" Matsuda shouted at him.

"Yeah! Even though you're close with Abe-senpai, we considered you an exception as us normal guys! But damn it, you keep on getting chicks one after another!" Motohama told him.

"Eh? Eh?" Takeshi couldn't help but make those confused sounds. No matter how bright he was, he was still lost on where these two were going at most of the time. And with these sudden questions, he couldn't exactly process what they're asking from him in the moment.

"Yeah! We've noticed your activities the past few days! First, you and Kaichou have been pretty friendly with each other! Normally, she treats everyone with such a strict approach! Yet somehow with you, you treat each other in a rather casually! Something is up with that!" Matsuda followed up.

"And recently, you walked out of school with some bishoujo waiting at the school's gate! And that bishoujo doesn't even come to this school!" Motohama told him.

"Yeah! Someone like you is together with three hot girls! And all you do is study!" Matsuda exclaimed.

 **[Does these guys ever shut up? I don't think even a Buddha has the patience for these guys.]** Jingzhu commented with an annoyed tone.

It was upon hearing this that some male students began whispering to each other.

"Yeah, now that they mention it, Fuyushima is getting surrounded by a bunch of hot chicks." a male student commented.

"Man, why does Fuyushima get all the luck? Surrounded by cute girls." a male complained while slouching on his desk.

"And he isn't exactly a pretty boy..." another guy commented.

It was then one of the male students looked a bit unsure of himself, scratching his cheek while trying to figure out something.

"Well yeah...but the thing is, it's kind of hard to hate the guy, you know? He treats everyone in this school in such a friendly way, and he is willing to help them with their problems. He even helped me out of a pinch with my schoolwork and tutored me get an A on this really hard test..." the male student told them while looking kind of unsure of himself about his feelings.

It was then murmured agreements were made around the group.

"Same here. He saved me from my mom's grilling if I didn't get an A on a test of my unfavorite subject."

"Ditto..."

The mood shifted for the group as they all looked unsure of themselves upon the topic of Takeshi. They looked like they wanted to hate him, but at the same time they feel like they couldn't due to the fact with Takeshi's friendly and helpful attitude. So they were kind of mixed about this.

The perverted duo heard this and their eyebrow's twitched violently. It was at that point that Takeshi was confused as hell on trying to figure out where the two were saying. And his mind could only register the recent words of the perverted teenagers.

"...Wait, what was that about three hot girls...?" Takeshi questioned.

Before the two could continue on, someone else came into the scene. Someone with long brown hair in multiple drill-like curls.

"There are you are Takeshi-kun. I need you for a moment." Kiyome told him as she grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out of the room, catching Takeshi by surprise as she did.

"K-Kiyome-chan?" Takeshi stuttered as he was being dragged off by his childhood friend. The two then left the classroom together, ignoring the envied cries of the the perverted teenagers.

* * *

 **(Rooftop)**

Takeshi soon found himself dragged to the school's rooftop, and Kiyome decided to let go of him. She gave a sigh, and turned towards him with a frown on her face.

"Honestly Takeshi-kun, you are just one big trouble magnet." Kiyome told him, making him blink at her statement.

"Well...you're not wrong on that part..." Takeshi responded while looking unsure, before he decided to ask his childhood friend something. "So why did you drag me up here anyway?"

"Multiple reasons. The first is that I had to get you away from those two. If I haven't intervened, you would've gone into a meaningless argument with the two of them." Kiyome pointed out while folding her arms underneath her impressive bust.

"Argument about what?" Takeshi asked, blinking in confusion.

Kiyome just gave him a flat look before she just shook her head.

"...Never mind." Kiyome sighed, as she couldn't believe that even though Takeshi is the smartest person she knows, he still couldn't somehow understand what the two perverted teens wanted to convey and talk to him about.

Oh well, it just saves Takeshi from all the headaches.

"The second reason is that I haven't heard from you for days. I understand that I was busy with my tennis team and my other duties as a Beast Tamer, but you could've at least said hi or something." Kiyome told him, making Takeshi give her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry Kiyome-chan. I got really busy over the past few days that I got too immersed in it..." Takeshi apologized while scratching the back of his head.

"And what exactly were those activities? I hope it didn't involve you getting into trouble." Kiyome said with an expecting tone.

"Well..." Takehsi gazed into another direction while saying it in a hesitant tone.

It was at that point that Kiyome couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose while uncharacteristically gave an exasperated sigh. It shows how she reached her limits of her patience with Takeshi and his troubles.

With a "get on with it" gesture from her hand, Takeshi then began his tale that has happened during the days that have gone by.

By the end of the conversation, Kiyome couldn't help but look at him with twitching eyebrows.

"...I swear Takeshi-kun, I leave you alone for this long, and you've already ended up in this kind of mess." Kiyome told him. Takeshi just sighed tiredly.

"I didn't exactly ask for this you know?" Takeshi told her.

"Yes, you were unfortunate to be held hostage but then saved by this ninja friend of yours. But there is one thing that bother me..." Kiyome said while narrowing her eyes at him.

"And what would that be?" Takeshi asked.

"Why are you allowing a Fallen Angel to stay at your house!?" Kiyome questioned rather critically. Takeshi flinched.

"W-Well, I sort of ended up getting her into a bigger mess. So to make it up to her, I let her stay at my place and-" Takeshi tried to explain, but was soon cut off by Kiyome.

"And that's the problem right there! You're giving out your hospitality to someone you just met! Even if you did work together, you can't just do this kind of thing without considering what you are getting into!" Kiyome scolded him, making Takeshi wince a bit while scratching the back of his head.

"Well, Erika-san is a person I can trust. I don't believe she is going to be any harm to me. If anything, she has been helping me get stronger with what I have." Takeshi explained to her. Kiyome simply sighed at him.

"That may be so Takeshi-kun, but please, for the love of God, don't be so open and helpful to others. Someday, they're going to take advantage of you, you know?" Kiyome told him. Takeshi simply smiled upon that.

"So? As long as I'm helping for the right reasons, then it doesn't matter if they're using me for their own benefits. I live to make others happy. That is my life rule right there." Takeshi told her with confidence. Kiyome just gave a defeated sigh upon hearing that.

"I swear Takeshi-kun, you're way to devoted to that ideal off yours." Kiyome said, before she decided to move away from the topic. "So, asides from letting a certain someone stay at your home, I've heard something about Exorcists being in town?" Kiyome asked. Takeshi nodded at her.

"Yeah. Considering that this town is under Devil territory, I find it rather odd for Exorcists to be here." Takeshi told her.

"I see...that is strange. Well, whatever is happening between Devils and Exorcists is none of our business. So that means we'll be staying out of it, right?" Kiyome fixed a look on him with an expectant tone. Takeshi just gave an unsure look as he scratched his cheek.

"...Honestly, with my luck, there's a 75% chance that I'm going to end up in it, even if I do want to avoid it." Takeshi told her. Kiyome just pinched the bridge of her noise upon hearing him say this.

"I see...it seems I have no other choice." Kiyome said, before she gave him a serious look.

"I seems like I have to supervise your activities from now on." Kiyome told him.

Silence passed.

"...Eh?"

* * *

 **(Home)**

When Kiyome said she'll be supervising his activities, she really meant it. His childhood friend decided that if she wants to keep him out of trouble, then she has to make sure that Takeshi doesn't get himself into it, voluntarily or involuntarily. In order to do so, she decided to spend most of her time by his side.

Takeshi doesn't know if this is by pure coincidence or not that Kiyome had the convenience to keep an eye on him. Both of her parents were out of town for a while, with her father out taming monsters while her mother is out on a business trip. So her parents don't know that she is gone from the house. Plus, activities with the tennis club is finally starting to settle down, so Kiyome isn't that busy. Add all of this up, and she has a lot of free time on her hands. And what better way is to keep an eye on your childhood friend to keep him out of trouble?

He honestly wondered why his childhood friend is putting in all of this effort just to keep him safe. Then again, he would've done the same if Kiyome kept getting in trouble. But it honestly felt weird to receive such treatment from someone.

Also, with all of these events happening in the span of almost a month, Kiyome had the feeling that Takeshi is going to keep on getting dragged into trouble.

So with her staying at his home until the Exorcists leave, he has another guest staying at his home. He didn't mind it of course, as Kiyome sometimes comes over to his home for study sessions or his birthday. But he would have to start getting used to the fact that Kiyome is going to start staying at his home for a few nights.

When the two arrived at the front door of his home, Takeshi turned to Kiyome.

"Now Kiyome-chan, I understand you have your reasons to be wary of Fallen Angels and Devils, but Erika-san isn't like that. I've learned a lot about her over the past few weeks, and she isn't like the Fallen Angels you envision." Takeshi told her. Kiyome frowned as she folded her arms underneath her bust.

"I'll be the judge of that Takehsi-kun." Kiyome answered.

Takeshi sighed, seeing that Kiyome is a bit doubtful with the Fallen Angels. But he had confidence that the two will get along in a civil manner. If Kiyome managed to coexist with the Devils here in Kuoh, then she can surely be fine with one Fallen Angel.

Unlocking the door, he opened the front door of his home.

"Erika-san, I'm home! I also have a friend!" Takeshi called out to his resident Fallen Angel.

Silence was met with the two. Takeshi blinked upon the response of silence, and looked around. He didn't see Erika anywhere.

"That's strange...she usually greets me when I come home." Takeshi commented as he walked into his home. Kiyome followed in suit as she looked around as well.

"Does she now?" Kiyome while looking around.

"Yeah. Maybe she is-" Takeshi said before he was cut off by a slight tremble beneath his feet. Takeshi paused and looked down at the floor. Kiyome blinked when she saw Takeshi standing there while looking at the floor.

"...Takehsi-kun?" Kiyome asked with a bit confusion in her tone.

 _TREMBLE_

This time, both felt a slight tremble beneath their feet. Kiyome blinked in surprise while Takeshi recognized where this trembling came from.

"...It's coming from the basement?" Takeshi muttered to himself as he made his way to his basement, and Kiyome decided to follow him to see where this trembling was coming from.

When the two made their way to the lower floor, Takeshi grabbed the door handle and opened the door, only to be met with a gust into his face. Takeshi raised his arm to shield himself from the wind blast. Once the wind died down, Takeshi lowered it to see what is happening.

Erika was in the middle of the training room, currently sweating a bit while panting from whatever activity she is doing. She is currently wearing a female workout tanktop and, surprising to Takeshi, wearing black Japanese bloomers. It surprised Takeshi because he never saw her wear those before during their workouts.

Erika took in a deep breath as she raised her baton, and swung it down, only for the baton to give off a burst of energy at the end, giving out a gust of wind. Erika gave an exhale as she wiped her forehead.

"Erika-san?" a familiar voice reached her ears, and she turned to see Takeshi standing there at the entrance of the room.

"Oh, hey Takeshi! Back from school?" Erika greeted with her usual friendly smile.

"I am. I'm kind of surprised to see you working hard in this pace. Usually, your usual training is a bit slower." Takeshi commented with a thoughtful tone. Erika simply wiped the sweat off of her forehead as she stretched a bit.

"Normally, yes. However, things came up and I felt it was necessary to amp up my training, you know?" Erika told him, before she noticed someone behind Takeshi.

"Who's this? A friend of yours?" Erika asked, seeing Kiyome standing behind Takeshi. The young brunette simply kept quiet while giving a good look at the Fallen Angel.

"Ah, right. Erika-san, this is my childhood friend Kiyome-chan. Kiyome-chan, this is Erika-san, a guest of mine." Takeshi said while introducing the two to each other.

Immediately, Erika's lips turned into a sly smile as she gave a good look at Kiyome.

"Hoh? Another girl in your life with a -chan as well? You move quite fast Takeshi-kun." Erika teased while playfully elbowing Takeshi.

"Eh?" Takeshi could only tilt his head upon her teasing, clueless on what she is trying to insinuate. However, Kiyome has gotten the message and her cheeks went red in embarrassment.

"W-Wha-!?" Kiyome squawked.

"So, if Asuka-chan isn't your girlfriend, then I guess she is the girlfriend?" Erika assumed while smiling in amusement towards Kiyome.

Even that statement was clear enough for Takeshi to understand, as his cheeks went a bit red in embarrassment.

"Oh no no no, she's not-" Takeshi tried to tell her, but Kiyome cuts in.

"H-He's not my boyfriend y-you scandalous Fallen Angel!" Kiyome protested while glaring at her. Erika didn't seem to take the name in offense, as she saw this as a chance to fluster the Beast Tamer more.

"If you're not his girlfriend, then how come you're going a bit red? If you truly are friends, you would wave this off. But seeing this..." Erika playfully said while gazing in another direction like she is not buying it.

"I keep telling you, he is not like that!" Kiyome protested.

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt..."

"Why you...!"

"Alright alright, let's settle down everyone." Takeshi tried to placate the situation before it went out of hand. His words seem to have stopped the conversation, as Erika lets out a sound of disappointment while Kiyome simply looked at the Fallen Angel with annoyance. Takeshi first turned to Erika with a soft frown.

"Erika-san, please do not tease Kiyome-chan. She's a bit sensitive to teasing. So it can help if you tone it down a bit." Takeshi told her, ignoring the soft "hey" from his childhood friend.

"Cheh, you're no fun." Erika pouted. Takeshi turned to Kiyome.

"Kiyome-chan, Erika-san has a habit of teasing people. Please do not take it for what it is." Takeshi told her. Kiyome merely huffed as she gazed in another direction.

Takeshi inwardly sighed, seeing how this first interaction isn't going as he hoped for.

'So much for civil greetings.' Takeshi thought tiredly, before he cleared his throat a bit.

"Now then, Erika-san, I believe you were telling me about why you are training at this level?" Takeshi said, hoping to divert to another subject.

"Oh, right." Erika said, realizing that she left the topic in favor for teasing people. She then gave a serious expression as she folded her arms.

"I recently got a message from Azazel." Erika told him, bring Takeshi's full attention and Kiyome's surprise upon this.

"Azazel?" Takeshi said with a bit of a surprised tone. Erika nodded at him.

"Yeah. It's kind of rare to get messages from him, but when he does, it's either out of his interest or something serious. Unfortunately, it's the latter." Erika told him.

"And why is that?" Takeshi inquired. Erika's frown deepened.

"Kokabiel, a Cadre of the Grigori, hasn't shown any signs of activity within the Grigori. Weeks have passed and there is no word from him. His actions are furthering suspicions that Azazel has for him. And if that's the case, Azazel warned me that Kokabiel might be proceeding with whatever he is planning." Erika explained. Takeshi's eyes widened upon this.

'Wait...those three Exorcist showing up in this town, where it's Devil territory. And the message Erika-san has received from Azazel. All of this happening within a short period of time. Even without proper evidence, it's possible that...!' Takeshi thought with realization.

Seeing the realization on Takeshi's face, Kiyome frowned with concern when she saw her childhood friend act like this.

"Takeshi-kun, is something the matter?" Kiyome asked with concern.

"It seems that you boyfriend realized what could happen within this very town." Erika said, seeing Takeshi connect the dots. Immediately, Kiyome glared at her with red returning to her cheeks.

"I keep telling you that he is not-!"

"Erika-san." Takeshi cut her off, getting the two's attention. He then gave her a focused expression.

"If I think what is going to happen...then you wouldn't mind a sparring partner, right?" Takeshi asked. Erika immediately gave a determined grin upon hearing this.

"Those are the kind of words I like to hear!" Erika told him.

Kiyome's eye brow twitched a bit, seeing how she's being ignored a bit by the two. So she cleared her throat a bit loudly, getting Takeshi's attention.

"Y-Yes Kiyome-chan?" Takeshi said, a bit off guard by his friend's actions.

"I would appreciate it if you told me what is happening and not leaving me out of the circle?" Kiyome told him. Takeshi flinched a bit.

"R-Right, sorry. I kinda got caught up in the moment." Takeshi said while scratching the back of his head in a sheepish manner. Kiyome just sighed upon hearing this.

"Another unfortunate habit of yours." Kiyome told him. Takeshi gave an apologetic smile before he gave a small frown.

"There's a high probability that Kokabiel might be acting within this town."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap.**

 **For visual help, the Stray Devil Takeshi fought is the appearance of Dummy Golem, a Yu Gi Oh monster.**

 **Sorry for the short chapter. This is all that I could muster up before I get into the nitty gritty of this arc.** **College has been a real time consumer, so it doesn't give me the chance to write.**

 **So yeah, this chapter is the beginning of the Excalibur Arc. Hopefully, I get progress through this and get to future arcs, where I have a lot in plan and store. Unfortunately, the only things that stand between me and my plot is the writing and my real life priorities.**

* * *

 **(Yukina Himeragi)**

 **So I've decided to put in another Light Novel character into my fanfic. If you don't know who she is, Yukina is from the LN known as Strike the Blood. To be honest, I've only seen the anime and not much of the light novel itself. But it's kind of fun to watch.**

 **The reason why I put in Yukina is because of a certain theme I have going on in this fanfic. Hint: Look at the chapter title, and see the 5th chapter title. See where I'm going with here?**

 **Another reason why is that it is rather difficult to find a spear-user to put in. The only character I could think of is her.**

 **So yeah, Yukina is going to be in this story.**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	9. The Helper

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other elements and characters.**

 **Hey guys, it's...been a while, huh? Sorry, but college is something of a time consumer. I barely have the time to write anymore. But thanks to winter vacation, I was able to write some stuff.**

 **Just a fair warning you guys. The Excalibur Arc is the Arc that I hate the most. I don't hate it in the actual DxD canon series. But when it comes to fanfiction? That stuff is absolutely hard to write around. Seriously, my mind just stumps around that stuff.**

 **So a lot of things in this chapter doesn't really have anything that involves big changes. I tried to...but it's really hard.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and happy holidays!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The Helper**

 **(Training Room)**

" **Asteroid!** "

Multiple magic bullets flew through the air and headed towards Erika. Erika maneuvered her way through the bullets and deflected some with her baton. She then sped towards Takeshi.

" **Astral Bind!** " Takeshi soon casted magical threads to come from the ground and latched onto Erika's legs. Erika clicked her tongue as she raised her baton and swung at the magical threads, enforcing it with her Fortification Magic at the right moment, breaking the threads apart.

However, Takeshi needed these seconds as he raised his staff.

" **Viper!** " Takeshi then shot the trajectory changing bullets as they all changed directions and surrounded Erika. Seeing that bullets were coming from her sides, she spread her wings and jumped into the air, avoiding the incoming bullets. However, Takeshi saw the chance for him.

" **Hound!** " Takeshi launched the homing bullets onto Erika. Erika frowned as she raised her baton once more. She tilted her body to the right to narrowly avoid a few homing bullets, and raised her baton to block the rest. She winced a bit when she felt one graze her shoulder.

Takeshi was about to cast another spell, but his eyes widened when Erika suddenly went fast towards him, enough to close the distance between them. Takeshi raised a magic barrier to shield himself from the incoming attack.

"Hah!" Erika swung her baton and immediately broke through the magic barrier. Takeshi's eyes widened when he felt a sudden impact on his body, caught off guard that Erika just tackled him right after that.

The two fell to the ground, with Takeshi's vision going a bit disoriented and grunting upon impact. He quickly recovered his senses to see what is going on, but froze when he found the end of baton pointed at his face. Erika panted a bit while she was sitting on top of Takeshi. She then gave a small smirk.

"Gotta say, you're getting a lot better. You're making me put more effort into this." Erika told him. Takeshi gave a tired smile in return.

"H-Ha ha ha, well, at least it shows I'm progressing." Takeshi told her.

"Still have a lot of ways to go." Erika simply told him.

"I know." Takeshi sighed.

The two then heard a certain someone clearing her throat, and they turned their heads to see Kiyome standing there with a frown on her face. She placed her hands on her hips.

"Are you two done?" Kiyome asked while looking a bit peeved by the sight. Seeing this, Erika couldn't help but break out into a sly smile once more.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be on top of your boyfriend. I'm sure you'd love to be in my position right now." Erika told her, making Kiyome break out into a blush once more.

"H-He's not my boyfriend!" Kiyome hotly replied with a blush on her face. Takeshi just sighed upon hearing that once more.

It's been like this for a couple of days already, and somehow, he still couldn't see Erika and Kiyome getting along. Well, it's more of a one-sided relationship if anything. Erika is actually fine and friendly with Kiyome, but her habit of teasing drives away Kiyome. So there isn't much progress in having Kiyome be friends with the Fallen Angel.

"Alright, I think we've had enough for today. Take a break?" Takeshi asked his Fallen Angel companion. The red-head simply shrugged.

"Sure. I think we've sparred long enough." Erika told him, before she got off of him and made her way out of the room. As she did, Kiyome huffed as while crossing her arms.

"...I don't like her." Kiyome muttered.

Takeshi could only sigh tiredly upon hearing this.

* * *

 **(Classroom)**

"All right class. Be sure to study these chapters for next week's quiz." the teacher simply told them as he left the classroom. The students soon got up from their desks and began talking with one another and leaving the classroom.

Takeshi simply stretched his body a bit before he decided to pack up his stuff as well. He reached into his desk to get his stuff, only to blink in surprise when he felt something. Grabbing it, he took it out and saw that it is a piece of paper.

"A note...?" Takeshi muttered with confusion and surprise. He opened it and read what it said.

 _Meet me at the Train Station after school. There is something important I need to talk to you about._

 _\- Issei_

"Issei?" Takeshi said to himself with surprise. Before he could ponder more about this message, a hand suddenly grabbed the note and took it from him, surprising Takehsi. He turned his head, only to find Kiyome standing there while reading the note. After reading it, she gave Takeshi a raised eyebrow.

"And just what is this?" Kiyome asked.

"A message from Issei. I don't know why he is telling me this though..." Takeshi told her while scratching the back of his head.

"Hyoudou-kun? What does he want with you?" Kiyome questioned.

"Dunno. But I'm kind of confused why he gave me this note rather than telling it to me directly. Must be something personal." Takeshi deduced.

"That may be so, but are you really going?" Kiyome asked.

"Well, there isn't much to do today, so I may as well go and hear him out." Takeshi told her. Kiyome frowned upon hearing this.

"I do not know Takeshi-kun. Hyoudou-kun is a Devil from what you have told me, and I do not believe this isn't some social talk." Kiyome warned him.

"Well, I guess the only way to find out is to hear him out. And I don't think Issei is that bad of a guy...despite his rather...strong interest in females." Takeshi tried to word out properly.

"I'm aware of that." Kiyome responded a bit dryly upon that part. "Are you really sure about this? This may drag you into unnecessary trouble." Kiyome told him.

"Like I said, I'm going to hear him out. Besides, even if I don't want to get involved, the least I could do is politely decline it in person." Takeshi told her. Hearing his answer, Kiyome simply sighed.

"...Fine. We'll hear him out. But I'm going with you to make sure you don't get involved voluntarily." Kiyome told him.

Takeshi simply shrugged.

"Sure."

* * *

 **(Train Station)**

After the duo left school, the two arrived at the train station to meet up with Issei. Takeshi looked around for the brunette, and spotted a familiar style of brown hair among the crowd. Takeshi blinked in surprise when he saw two other familiar people as well.

That short blond messy hair belonged to Saji, while there was short white hair, showing that it is Koneko. Saji looked like he wanted to spend his time elsewhere, while Koneko just kept up her usual stoic expression.

"Aaaaa. And? What was the reason for calling me?" Saji questioned.

"…He's right. What were you two trying to do?" Koneko questioned as well.

Issei cleared his throat a bit to explain, but he heard another voice enter the scene.

"So um...you needed me here Issei?" Takeshi called out to him. His voice caught the groups attention, and he received different reactions from each of them.

"You are...that Magician." Koneko commented while raising an eyebrow at his presence.

"Why is he here?" Saji questioned while giving Takeshi an annoyed look.

"Ah, Takeshi, you made it!" Issei happily said at the sight of him, before he blinked in shock when he saw Kiyome near him as well.

"E-EEEEEH!? Abe-senpai, you're here as well!?" Issei asked in shock. Kiyome huffed as she crossed her arms underneath her large bust.

"Do not mind me. I'm just keep a certain eye on someone so he wouldn't get in trouble." Kiyome told him as gazing at Takeshi. Takeshi just chuckled at her, before he turned to Issei.

"So, you needed to tell me something important. But I guess that includes others as well." Takeshi summarized as he looked at the group before him. Issei nodded at him, before he puts on a focused expression.

"I'm going to ask Shidou Irina and Xenovia to give me permission to destroy the holy-sword Excaliburs." Issei announced to everyone.

Silence met the group at first, and the Devils looked shocked upon hearing this. Takeshi and Kiyome, on the other hand, grew a bit confused on what Issei stated.

"He said Excalibur...with an 's', right?" Kiyome asked to clarify it.

"I believe so..." Takeshi muttered.

It was then the silence between the Devils was broken when Saji broke out of his shocked state.

"Nooooooooo! I'm going home!" Saji screamed while trying to run away. Koneko held onto him and didn't let him go. The young girl thought about it and agreed with Issei's plan as well.

Takeshi just gave a thoughtful look as he placed his hand on his chin, putting on a thinking pose.

'Excalibur. The famous holy sword once wielded by King Arthur Pendragon. The Excalibur is the very symbol of Arthurian Legend itself. But why is Issei saying it in plural?' Takeshi thought, before he decided to turn to his trusty source on the supernatural.

'Jingzhu, you know anything about this?' Takeshi asked.

 **[Hmm...I've been in many humans who never wielded me, but I've been able to keep my awareness of the outside.]**

Jingzhu hummed as he stroked his beard.

 **[I've heard multiple rumors about the Excalibur fragmenting into multiple pieces. And these pieces were distributed to multiple Churches. If what he said is true, then that means the Excalibur is in multiple pieces]**

'I see...' Takeshi thought.

"Hyoudou! Why me!? It's your group's problem, right!? I belong to the House of Sitri! I shouldn't take part in this! Not at all!" Saji argued while crying.

"Don't say that Saji. The only Devil that I know who seems willing to help me is you. Plus, I'm sure Takeshi is willing to help me as well." Issei said like it isn't a problem. Kiyome frowned upon hearing this.

"Don't say it like Takeshi-kun is going to-" Kiyome spoke up, before she immediately stopped and turned to see Takeshi looking at Issei with a thoughtful and curious look.

"...You know what, we're leaving. Good day to you all." Kiyome told him as she wrapped her arms around Takeshi's arm and begun to drag him away.

"W-Wait, K-Kiyome-chan, w-why are we leaving!?" Takeshi said as he felt Kiyome drag him away from the group, trying to resist her pulling.

"Because this has nothing to do with us! This is a matter between the Devils and Exorcists. What they do to each other is none of our business or concern." Kiyome answered as she attempted to pull him away from the situation.

"E-Even so, can I at least let Issei explain why he proposed to us in the first place? I want to know." Takeshi reasoned.

"Hearing that proposal alone is something that screams all sorts of trouble!"

"You say it like I'm going to accept his request."

"Knowing you, you might."

"Harsh Kiyome-chan..."

The two childhood friends then fell into a short argument, tuning out the Devils who were arguing about their own thing.

"Bullshit! There's no way that I will help youuuu! I'm going to get killed! I'm going to get killed by Kaichouuuuu! Your master, Rias-senpai, might be strict and kind! But you know what! You know Kaichou!? She's strict AND strict!" Saji screamed while still trying to run away.

Issei gave an understanding look towards Saji, and just gave a small sigh. He then turned to Takeshi and Kiyome, who were still arguing.

"C'mon, please? I just want to know the story behind it."

"And what good would that do?"

"Well, if I learned more about the request, then I can understand how this connects with others or something. I want to know if this request is good or bad in a way. Please, can I at least hear him out, and then we can leave?"

Kiyome gave a stern look towards Takeshi, before her features softened a bit as she sighed.

"Honestly...once you set your mind to something, you just don't stop. Fine. We'll hear him out further. But after that, we are leaving. Got it?" Kiyome told him. Takeshi's features brightened upon Kiyome's consent.

"Thank you Kiyome-chan!" Takeshi happily responded. Kiyome just shook her head before she turn to Issei.

"Hyoudou-kun, you may lead the way." Kiyome told him.

"R-Right." Issei sweatdropped upon the outcome of the argument.

* * *

 **(Later)**

"Hey Koneko-chan. You know that Kiba is a victim of the "Holy-sword Project" and also harbours a grudge towards Excalibur, right?" Issei asked.

Koneko-chan nodded at his question.

"When Irina and Xenovia came to us, they said this. The Church decided that it would be better to eliminate all the Excaliburs rather than letting them be used by the Fallen-Angels. Our minimum objective is to get the Excaliburs away from the Fallen-Angels. So in other words they have to destroy the stolen Excaliburs or retrieve them, right?" Issei pointed out.

"…Yes. That's right." Koneke answered.

'So that's what it is. So Kokabiel and other possible Fallen Angels got their hands on the fragmented Excaliburs. So that is why those Exorcists arrived here in this town.' Takeshi deduced as he listened in on the conversation. He then gave a mental frown.

'If that is the case...I highly doubt this town will be quiet for too long.' Takeshi thought, cautious of the situation that is now going on in this town.

"That's why I thought we could help them retrieve those. By making Kiba the main person. Three swords were stolen, so they won't mind if we retrieve or break one of them." Issei explained, making Takeshi blink upon the mention of Yuuto and the swords breaking.

"…You want Yuuto-senpai to overcome Excalibur and to fulfil his wish, right?"

Issei nodded while smiling.

"Kiba wants to win against Excalibur and accomplish his and his former comrades' revenge. Xenovia and Irina want to retrieve the Excaliburs from the Fallen-Angels even if they have to destroy them. We have the same aim then. What's left is to see if those two will listen to the words of us Devils."

"…It seems hard."

"Hmmmm yeah."

"...I'm do not fully understand the history between Kiba and the Excalibur, but from what I've heard, I can say it is something unpleasant." Takeshi deduced with a soft frown.

"Yeah. We can explain the story more to you later. Right now, we got to find the Exorcists." Issei told him.

"…It's a secret from Buchou and the other members." Koneko commented.

"…When we go and talk to them it might lead to a fight and the tension between us and them might get even worse." Issei told them, before he turned to the four.

"That's why you can leave, Koneko-chan, Saji, Takeshi, and unexpectedly, Abe-san. You can also run away if it gets dangerous." Issei told them.

"Let me run nowwww! That's the worst! I'd get killed by Kaichou if I do something like destroying the Excaliburs without her permission! She will definitely torture meeeeee!" Saji panicked as he still attempted to run away, but was still held by Koneko. Takeshi blinked at this.

"Is she that strict? Weird, I've never experienced that with her." Takeshi muttered. His past experiences with Sona never had any account of her being that overly strict. Even during their training sessions, Takeshi never witnessed the "torture" that Saji describes. Perhaps Saji was exaggerating it?

"Maybe the negotiation will be a success. If that happens, then I want you to help me." Issei told him.

"Uwaaaaaa! That's so irresponsible! I'll die! I'd definitely get killed!"

Hearing this, Kiyome then gazed at Takeshi.

"Takeshi-kun, while Genshirou-kun is acting...in an exaggerated manner, at least he has the mind to keep out of trouble." Kiyome told him.

"But I'm not looking for trouble. I just want to hear more about this problem. There's a difference." Takeshi defended.

"Really?" Kiyome responded with a skeptical tone. Takeshi just sighed.

"Yes really."

"Coming from you, I highly doubt it."

"Why must you be a rain on my parade?"

"I'm not being a rain on your parade. I'm simply trying to keep you out of a storm."

The two childhood friends fell into a short bicker/argument once more, making Issei sweatdrop at the relationship between the two.

"I won't run away. It's for our comrade." Koneko answered while her eyes were filled with determination. Issei gave a small smile in response and nodded.

"Right! Let's go find them!"

* * *

 **(Later)**

Twenty minutes after looking for them in the town, the group found what they were looking for, and it wasn't exactly hard to spot them.

"Please give blessings to the lost lamb-"

"Please give charity to us on behalf of the father in heaven!"

"I-It is for a good cause!"

Three girls, who were all wearing white robes, were praying on the road. People walking past them were giving them odd glances.

"How can this be? This is the reality of the developed country of Japan? That's why I don't like countries that don't have the smell of our beliefs."

"Don't say that, Xenovia. We lost all the money we had. So we have to rely on charity from these heretics or else we can't get food, you know? Aaah, we can't even buy a single loaf of bread!"

"Hmph. It all happened because you bought that fake looking painting."

"I honestly thought that too..." Yukina chimed in, as she and Xenovia were looking at a painting of a saint that was drawn really badly.

"What are you saying? This painting has the drawing of someone who looks like a saint! That's what the person in the exhibition said as well!"

"Then do you know who the person in the drawing is? I certainly don't."

The picture seemed very shady and somewhat poor designed, as it had a foreigner that was wearing poor clothing and had something on his head. There was also a baby Angel on the background with a trumpet who was floating in the air.

"…I think it's…Saint…Peter…?"

"Don't mess around. Saint Peter wouldn't look like this."

"I've seen multiple paintings of him...so this is debatable." Yukina added in.

"No, he must have looked like this! I'm sure about it!" Irina said with a sure tone.

"Aaah, why did my partner have to be someone like you…God, is this also a trial?"

"Hey don't hold your head down. You really get depressed when you are down, don't you."

"Shut up! That's why the Protestants are called heretics! You guys have different beliefs than us Catholics! Show more respect to the saints!"

"What! What's wrong, it is Catholicism where they still abide by the old law!"

"I honestly just practice what is original and handed down from the apostles. So both of you aren't wrong in a sense, so you shouldn't argue over this..." Yukina told them as she tried to placate the situation.

"What did you say, heretic?"

"What did you say, heretic!?"

"I think we're attracting attention." Yukina commented while looking a bit worried and embarrassed by this.

The Eastern Orthodox Exorcist just stood by as the two other Exorcists started to argue by banging their heads against each other.

 _Grumble~_

It was then the group heard sound of their stomachs three of them dropped onto the ground with their stomachs rumbling.

"…First of all, let's do something to fill our stomachs. Or else it's not a matter of retrieving the Excaliburs."

"…You are right. Do you want to get money from the heretics by threatening them? I think God will forgive us if we threaten the heretics."

"Isn't stealing a sin itself?" Yukina pointed out. Xenovia shook her head at that.

"They are heretics, moral laws do not apply. Then again, do you plan to attack the shrine? Or do you plan to steal their offertory box? Don't do either. Let's use our swords to put on a performance. It's an international entertainment that works in every country."

"That's an excellent idea! If we can cut fruits with our Excaliburs, then we can gather cash!"

"Well, we don't have fruits. It can't be helped. Let's cut that picture."

"No! You can't cut this down!"

"We wouldn't have to cut anything if we haven't wasted the money..." Yukina muttered.

The two Exorcist started to argue again while Yukina just sighed tiredly on the sidelines. Seeing the scene before them, the group couldn't help but sweat-drop upon the sight.

"...I think we should help." Takeshi pointed out, seeing the predicament before him. His "helping" side is already coming up.

"Good idea..." Issei agreed.

Issei took in a deep breath before he decided to approach the three Exorcist.

* * *

 **(Family Restaurant)**

"Delicious! Japanese cuisine is delicious!"

"Yes, yes! This is it! This is the taste of the food of my homeland!"

"This taste better than the food I have at the Church I work at!"

Irina, Xenovia, and Yukina started to fill their stomachs with the food they ordered at a family restaurant. While Yukina's appetite was normal for her age, Irina and Xenovia were both wolfing down whatever kind of food they ordered. He felt bad for Issei, since he said that he is going to pay for the food. So he decided to chime in as well, despite Kiyome's protest on telling him not to waste money on complete strangers. But Takeshi's didn't give up on helping others, so he was more than willing to pay a part of the meal.

Besides, his late father had a lot of money before he passed away, so he can do whatever he wants with the inherited fortune. Not that he'll take it for granted of course.

"Phew. Now I'm calm. It's the end of the world to get helped by a Devil." Xenovia said

"Hey. We are treating you to food and that's what you say?" Issei said while trying to suppress his annoyance.

"Pheeeew! Thank you for the meal. Aaaah God, please give charity to these Devils." Irina said while using her cross.

The three Devils winced in pain while holding their heads, while Takeshi and Kiyome were unharmed by the prayer.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I did it without thinking." Irina smiled with a cute face. Xenovia drank a cup of water and took a deep breath.

"So, why did you come to us?" Xenovia asked.

Issei paused for a moment to consider his words, before he decided to move forward.

"You two came to this country to retrieve the Excaliburs, right?" Issei asked.

"That's right. We already told you that before."

"I want to help you destroy the Excaliburs."

The three of them looked surprised at what Issei said. They were also looking at each other, as if they're silently communicating with one another.

Takeshi gave the three a analytical look, trying to read what they're mentally saying. The three didn't show any signs of hostile feelings throughout the whole time, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious that things might turn south if this meeting went in the wrong direction.

"Yeah. Maybe it's okay leaving one sword to you guys. If you can destroy it, that is. But make sure that your identities aren't revealed. We also don't want our high-ups and enemies to think that we are connected to you guys." Xenovia told them, making the group look at her with surprise.

"Hey Xenovia. Are you sure? Even if it's Ise-kun, he's still a Devil, you know?" Irina raised an objection.

"I understand that our chances of success to succeed the mission is slim, but do we have to resort to this?" Yukina commented with a bit of doubt.

"Irina. Yukina. To tell you the truth, it would really be tough to retrieve the three Excaliburs and to battle Kokabiel with only the two of us."

"I know that. But...!"

"The minimum objectives we have to achieve are destroying the three Excaliburs or take them back. If our Excaliburs are going to be stolen as well then we should break them before it happens. Even if we use the last resort, there's only a 30 percent chance that we will succeed in our mission and return home safely."

"Even so, we thought that the success rate was high enough to come to this country prepared to put our life on the line."

"Yeah. The high-ups also told us to continue with our mission as well and dispatched us to this country. It's almost self-sacrifice."

"And isn't that what we, the followers, desire for?"

"I changed my mind. My beliefs are flexible. So I can act in the best way."

"You! I have been thinking about it for a long time, but your faith is a bit weird!"

"I won't deny it. But I think that it's our duty to accomplish our mission and return safely. I'm going to live and continue fighting for God. Am I wrong?"

"…You are not wrong. But..."

"I wonder if this is a normal thing between you two..." Yukina muttered.

"That's why we won't ask for help from the Devils. Instead we ask for help from a Dragon. The high-ups didn't tell us not to borrow the strength of a Dragon." Xenovia said, and then look at Issei.

"I never thought that I would meet Sekiryuutei in a distant country like this. Even if you turned into a Devil, I see that the dragon power within you is still present. If it's like the legend says, then you can increase your power to that of a Maou, correct? If you gain a power to that of a Maou, then you can break the Excaliburs without a sweat. I also think that it was God's doing that we had this meeting." Xenovia said joyfully.

"C-Certainly they didn't tell us not to borrow the power of a Dragon… But you are just saying nonsense! Your belief is certainly weird!"

"Weird is fine with me. But, Irina. He's your childhood friend, right? Let's trust him. The power of a Dragon."

Irina became silent at Xenovia's words, but her expression showed that she was okay with it for now. Yukina, on the other hand, simply nodded at her reasoning, before she decided to turn to both Takeshi and Kiyome.

"I'm surprised. What are you doing here with the Devils Takeshi-kun? And you are...?" Yukina asked while giving a glance at Kiyome. Kiyome just gave a neutral look towards her.

"Do not mind us. We're simply here to learn more about this situation, and see what we can do to avoid it. Isn't that right?" Kiyome said while giving a glance at Takeshi.

"Of course Kiyome-chan." Takeshi sighed, but he then turned to Yukina.

"Well, that's part of it. The more I learn about the situation, the more I can do my best to avoid it. I have a rather...unfortunate luck when it comes to dangerous situations." Takeshi said while giving a sheepish look.

"I see..." Yukina quietly commented.

"Okay. The negotiation is a success. I will lend you guys my Dragon's power. Then can I call my partner for this cooperation, then?" Issei said as he took out his phone and began dialing some numbers.

* * *

 **(Later)**

A moment later, the blond Knight came to the family restaurant after receiving a call from Issei.

"…I understand the situation." Yuuto said as he put his mouth on the coffee after he made a sigh. "To tell the truth, I feel unsatisfied when the wielders of the Excaliburs are giving me the permission to destroy it."

"That's a rough way to speak. If you were a "Stray-Devil", I would have cut you down without any time to spare." Xenovia responded with a sharp glare, which Yuuto returned back.

Seeing the tension, Takeshi decided to play arbitrator.

"Alright alright, settle down you two. Let's now cause a scene in this restaurant." Takeshi told them. The two swordsman paused upon hearing this, before they broke off the glares and looked in other directions.

"So you do hold a grudge regarding the "Holy-sword Project". Against the church and the Excaliburs."

Yuuto sharpened his eyes at Irina's words.

"Obviously." Yuuto replied with a low and cold voice.

"But Kiba-kun. Thanks to that project, the research on holy-sword users showed results. That's why it created people like Xenovia and I who can synchronise with the holy swords."

"Do you think it's a forgiving act to kill all the test subjects because the project was thought to be a failure?" Yuuto responded while looking at Irina with hate.

Yukina, Takeshi, and Kiyome frowned upon hearing this.

'The Holy Sword Project...killing all the test subjects...revenge against the Excaliburs...wait...I'm starting to see the connections here.' Takeshi thought as he managed to connect the dots.

Takeshi deduced that this Holy Sword Project involved Yuuto and other test subjects, intent on creating holy swords that are easily compatible with anyone. But they were killed because of a failure. Yuuto must've survived the ordeal, and swore vengeance on the holy swords. That is what Takeshi concluded.

"That incident also became one of the worst cases among us and people felt disgusted about it. The person in charge of that project at that time was said to have a problem with his belief. So he was charged with heresy. Now he's one of those people on the Fallen-Angels side." Xenovia stated.

"On the Fallen-Angel's side? What's the name of that person?" Yuuto asked with interest.

"…Balba Galilei. The man who is called the "Genocide Archbishop"."

"…If I go after Fallen-Angels, then can I reach him…" Yuuto muttered while his eyes gained a new form of determination.

"Then it looks like I have to share information as well. The other day I was attacked by a person who had the Excalibur. At that time, he killed a priest. The one who was killed is probably from your organization"

[!]

Everyone became surprised.

"The name of that person is Freed Zelzan. I believe he was that priest that we've encountered back when Issei-kun tried to fulfill a contract."

Takeshi's eyes widened upon hearing that name.

'Freed! That's the Stray Exorcist that me and Erika-san fought when we were pulling off that operation to save the Fallen Angels! Not good...' Takeshi thought while looking troubled by this. 'If only Erika-san and I stopped him sooner, this may have delayed the problem for a bit. No, I'm sure Kokabiel would've found someone else willing to take the spot. But still, him of all people...' Takeshi said while narrowing his eyes.

Kiyome noticed Takeshi's troubled look and looked concerned for him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, making him snap out of it. He looked at Kiyome with surprise, and saw the concerned look she gave him. Takeshi lets out a small shaky smile and nodded to her, telling her that he is fine. Kiyome frowned for a bit, before she decided to let it move on.

"I see. So it's him."

"Freed Zelzan. Former exorcist of the Vatican. The genius who became an exorcist at the age of 13. He had lots of big achievements because he kept on eliminating Devils and mystical beasts."

"But he overdid it. He even killed his allies. Freed never had any beliefs towards our God from the start. The only thing he had was fighting instinct and killing intent towards monsters. And an abnormal obsession for battles. It was a matter of time that he'd be charged for heresy."

"He strayed from the true path, and now he has committed far more heinous crimes." Yukina said while narrowing her eyes at the mention of him.

"Is that so? Freed used the Excalibur he stole to kill our fellow followers. For us to pay the price because the disposal group couldn't take care of him that time." Xenovia said it with hatred.

Takeshi simply sighed as he scratched the back of his head.

'Honestly, with Freed in town and what Erika and I did to him, he'll probably hunt me down.' Takeshi thought, disturbed that the psychotic Stray Exorcist is now back in this town.

* * *

 **(Park)**

The group soon finished their business at the restaurant, and decided to take their discussion into the park.

"Anyways, let's move onto the cooperation strategy." Xenovia said as she took out a pen and used it to write on a memo pad. She gave them her contact details.

"If something happens, call this number."

"Thanks. Then we should also…"

"We already received Ise-kun's number from oba-sama."

"Are you serious!? Mum!? She gave it without my permission!?"

"Then that's it then. I'll repay you for the meal another time, "Sekiryuutei" Hyoudou Issei." Xenovia said to Issei.

"Thanks for the meal, Ise-kun! Treat me again next time as well! Even if you are a Devil, God will allow it if it's Ise-kun who treats me to a meal! It's okay if it's food!" Irina thanked him while giving me a wink.

"Thank you for what you have done for us. I'll be sure to repay you someday." Yukina told them as she bowed in thanks, before she and the Exorcist decided to take off.

When the Exorcists took off, Kiyome sigh with relief, before she turned to her childhood friend.

"I believe we've been around enough Takeshi-kun. Are you satisfied?" Kiyome asked the young Magician. Takeshi scratched his chin, before he turned to Yuuto.

"Before we do that...I feel that I'm intruding into something personal, but I feel there is something more to Kiba's past." Takeshi told her. Kiyome simply sighed, seeing that Takeshi was still curious to learn more about this. Seeing how far they've listened in on the situation, she decided it was too late to go back. And with Takeshi's mind set on learning about, she won't win.

"…Ise-kun. Why did you do this?" Yuuto asked him quietly.

"Well, we are comrades. And we belong to the same group. And you helped me out before as well. It's not like I'm trying to repay you, but I thought I would give you a hand this time."

"If I act by myself, then I would cause trouble for Buchou. That's also the reason, right?"

"Of course. Buchou would get sad if you were to go around in a rampage. Well, the fact that I made this plan by myself will cause trouble to Buchou as well. But it's better than you becoming an "exiled", right? Well it turned out to be a success, since we made an agreement with those guys from the Church."

Despite the answer Issei gave to Yuuto, he still didn't look satisfied. It was then Koneko decided to speak up.

"…Yuuto-senpai. I would get lonely…if senpai disappeared." Koneko told him with a sad expression.

"…I will help you…that's why please don't go." Koneko pleaded.

Seeing Koneko's saddened expression, Yuuto looked troubled, before he puts a smile on his face.

"Hahaha. I give up. If Koneko-chan says that to me, then I can't do reckless things. Okay. I will work with you. Thanks to Ise-kun, I know who my true enemy is. But since we are doing this, we are definitely going to defeat the Excalibur." Yuuto told him. Both Issei and Koneko smiled in relief.

"Okay! Now we have formed the group to destroy the Excalibur! Let's defeat the stolen Excalibur and that shit Freed!" Issei said while pumping his fist.

"Language." Takeshi softly chastised, making Issei give him a weird look.

"Um...sorry?" Issei said.

"Don't be concerned with Takeshi-kun. He prefers to speak in an appropriate language." Kiyome told him.

"He acts like everyone's mother if people keep cussing." Saji muttered while giving Takeshi a hidden annoyed look, before he turned to the group.

"…Ummm, do I have to do it as well? I mean, I'm totally uninvolved in this… After all, how are Kiba and Excalibur related?" Saji asked.

Kiyome looked a bit curious upon this as well, despite the fact that she wanted to stay out of it. Takeshi already figured it out, but decided to be quiet for Yuuto.

"…Let's talk a bit." Yuuto said, preparing to talk about his past.

The project that the Catholic Church planned secretly. Project Holy-sword. The test to make lots of people who can use holy-swords was taking place in a certain institute. There were boys and girls who had talents at using swords and a possessor of Sacred Gear. Day after day, they were going through inhuman experiments. They were being experimented on and had their rights of freedom taken away. They weren't treated as humans and their lives were ignored. They were forced to believe that they were loved by God, and they were just waiting for "that day" to come. They believed that they would become special beings. They believed that they could become people who could wield holy-swords. But the result was "disposal". Kiba and his comrades couldn't use the holy-swords.

"…Everyone died. They were killed. Killed by those who serve God. No one saved us. Just because we couldn't use the holy-swords. Other boys and girls were put under poisonous gas while still alive. They put poisonous gas on us while saying "amen". We vomited blood and suffered on the floor. Even so, we were seeking help from God." Yuuto recounted while clenching his fist upon the details.

Yuuto somehow managed to escape from the laboratory, but the poisonous gas had already infected him. Apart from certain people, the test subjects who had lower abilities than average were all disposed of because they weren't needed. Yuuto, who managed to escape, met Rias who came to observe Italy as he was dying. And now he was here.

"I want to accomplish my comrades' regrets. No, I don't want to make their deaths be in vain. I need to keep on living in their place, and I have to prove that I am stronger than Excalibur." Yuuto said with determination and anger.

Hearing this story, both Takeshi and Kiyome were saddened to hear the story. Kiyome bit her lip while she looked dispirited upon hearing his unfortunate past. Takeshi gave a sympathetic look towards Yuuto. He knew the pain of losing the people you love dearly. While it wasn't as big as a scale to Yuuto, Takeshi knew the pain of losing family.

"Uuuuuuu…sob…"

The group heard the sound of crying, and turned to see Saji crying aloud with tears falling out of his eyes and his nose dripping. He then took Yuuto's hand.

"Kiba! It must have been horrible! It must have been painful! Damn it! There isn't any God or hope in this world! Right now I feel so much sympathy for you! Yeah, it's a horrible story! I understand why you hold a grudge against those people from the church and Excalibur!" Saji told him.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't like you before because you were a good looking guy…But it's different now! I will also help! I'm willing to receive the punishment from Kaichou! But before that we have to destroy Excalibur! I will also work hard! You also have to live on! Don't ever betray Rias-senpai who saved you!" Saji told him while he was full of passion. He then turn to the group with fire in his eyes.

"Okay! It's a good time! I want you guys to hear my story! You guys should know about me if we are working together!" Saji said as he looked a bit shy.

"You don't really need to..." Kiyome attempted to stop him, getting a bad feeling about this. Unfortunately, Saji went through with it.

"My dream is to…make Kaichou pregnant and marry her! But, you know… making a girl pregnant and marrying her is hard for an unpopular guy like me. There aren't any girls that I can make pregnant to begin with… But I will one day make her pregnant and marry her…" Saji confessed.

Kiyome's jaw dropped a bit upon hearing this, while Takeshi just laughed a bit awkwardly upon hearing this.

 **[...I believe he has the order wrong.]** Jingzhu commented with a dry tone.

'I think you're supposed to marry and then make her pregnant...' Takeshi said, still put off by Saji's goal.

It was then Issei, who looked move by this, took Saji's hand and looked at him with equal fervor.

"Saji! Listen to me! My aim is to grope Buchou's oppai…and then suck it!"

"…!"

After a pause more tear drops were flowing out of Saji's eyes.

"Hyoudouuuu! Do you know what you are saying? Do you understand how hard that dream is, to touch the High-class Devils oppai… To touch the oppai of your master?"

"Saji. You can touch it. You can touch the High-class Devils oppai… You can touch your master's oppai! I actually groped Buchou's oppai with this hand." Issei told him.

"Impossible!? Something like that is possible!? You are not lying, right!?"

"It's not a lie. Master's oppai is far away. But it's not like you can't reach it."

"Sucking it…!? Sucking Ka…Kaichou's oppai… You are talking about the nipple right…? The place where you can suck is the nipple right…?"

"Dumb ass! If you are going to suck oppai, then the nipple is the only thing you can suck! Yes! I'm going to suck the nipple!"

"…!"

Saji started to cry like a man after hearing Issei's strong words.

"Saji! We may be useless "Pawn"s if we are just by ourselves. But it's different if it's the two of us. We can fly if it's the two of us! We can fight if it's the two of us! We can do it if it's the two of us! We can make them pregnant and marry them if it's the two of us! Let's have sex with our own masters!"

"Yeah. Yes!"

"…Ahaha." Yuuto laughed awkwardly

"…You are the worst." Koneko commented with a flat tone.

 **[...That is honestly the weirdest, and disturbing if I might add, goal I have ever heard. And I though my comrade's goals were weird enough.]**

"...Uh..." Takeshi looked very unsure and lost of words in response to hearing this.

"Why didn't we leave sooner? We should've left sooner. Because if we did, we wouldn't have to hear this..." Kiyome muttered while pinching the bridge of her nose.

It was then Saji flared his nostrils as he turned his head towards Takekshi.

"And even if Kaichou is giving her time of day to personally tutor you, that will not deter me from getting to her!" Saji told him with a determined tone.

Kiyome's eyebrow twitched upon the mention of Sona. When she learned from Takeshi that he is getting personal magic lessons from Sona through the contract, she heavily grilled him on about risking his own soul to get power. However, Takeshi told her that it doesn't happen and reassured her that his soul isn't going anywhere. This somewhat appeased Kiyome, but she was still ticked that Takeshi is turning to the Devil's help to help him with his progress in magic.

Takeshi blinked upon hearing this.

"Why would I deter you from getting into a relationship with Kaichou?" Takeshi asked with a confused tone.

"Don't play dumb with me Fuyushima! I know your motives for having Kaichou personally tutor you!" Saji accused. Takeshi smiled upon hearing this.

"Oh, did she tell you that I have a goal of becoming a strong Magician like my dad?" Takeshi asked. Saji blinked owilishly upon hearing this, not expecting that kind of answer at all.

"E-Excuse me?" Saji responded with a confused tone. Seeing the confused look, Takeshi titled his head in confusion.

"Wait, she didn't? Then what kind of motives are you talking about?" Takeshi asked with an innocent and confused tone. A tone and expression so innocent that Saji faltered a bit.

"Y-You..." Saji's eyebrow twitched, before he palmed his face. "I-I can't believe my rival is oblivious in all of this..."

"Um...I don't know what you are thinking, but I can provide an answer why I'm having Kaichou help me with my magic." Takeshi offered.

"U-Urm, sure..." Saji responded. After getting the responses he didn't expect, Saji just decided it was just best to see where this is going.

"Well, my dad is a Magician. He was the one who taught me how to use magic in the first place, and as a child, I was very excited with the ways of magic. Unfortunately, I kind of caught the short end of the stick, as my magic isn't up to par with even the average." Takeshi explained.

"You did mention that..." Saji muttered.

"But what does that have to do with Kaichou?" Issei asked curiously. Yuuto and Koneko, while not speaking, also showed a bit of curiosity as well. This is their first time learning that Takeshi is having Sona tutor him in magic.

"Don't worry, I'll get there." Takeshi reassured the Boosted Gear holder. "You can practically imagine that any child would idolize their parent for their amazing things. So I wanted to be just like my dad. Unfortunately, he won't be able to see that anymore..." Takeshi said while breaking out into a melancholic smile.

Saji flinched when he felt something bad within him.

"W-What do you mean?" Saji ventured further.

"Hey..." Kiyome said while glaring at him, seeing how this is a rather sensitive and personal topic. But Takeshi simply patted her on the shoulder to reassure her he is fine. Kiyome frowned in response, before she relented as she sighed.

"My dad passed away due to illness. It was unfortunate that an amazing person passed away, but I've decided to carry on his memory by becoming a successful Magician. Progress was long for me, thanks to my circumstances." Takeshi said while chuckling at his past experience, and his expressions brightened.

"But thanks to your King, I've been able to make a lot of progress in magic. It is thanks to her help that I am able to honor my father's memory and everything that he has done for me. So really, I am thankful for what Kaichou has done for me." Takeshi said to Saji with a tone full of gratitude.

"Y-You...!" Saji's eyebrow twitched while his mouth faltered, before he slumped a bit. "Damn it, you're making it real hard to hate you, you know?"

"H-Hate me? I-I'm sorry, did I do anything to offend you?" Takeshi asked with concern.

"Don't say that! You're just making it worst!" Saji told him while backing up a bit. He then scratched his head in annoyance.

"Damn it, I thought I would have a rival that I could dislike easily. But this...this isn't really what I expected." Saji muttered. He gave an annoyed clicking noise with his tongue and just turned around.

"You just killed the mood. I think I'm gonna go now. But remember this Fuyushima! I'll be the one to win Kaichou's heart! That I swear!" Saji told him, before he huffed and stomped off somewhere.

Seeing Saji leave the scene, Takeshi couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.

"...I'll be the one to win Kaichou's heart?" Takeshi repeated, before he blinked owlishly upon realizing something.

"Wait...does he sees me as competition for Kaichou?" Takeshi asked Kiyome with surprise. Kiyome just face palmed upon hearing this, seeing how her childhood friend just caught onto this particular situation.

"What do you think he meant Takeshi-kun?" Kiyome asked tiredly. Takeshi furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well...I don't think he has anything to worry about. Nothing is going on between me and Kaichou. And besides...despite how his dream is rather...prurient, I'll make sure that he'll get his happiness. The least I could do is stay out of the way." Takeshi told her.

"At least that's something you're willing to stay out of. Now then, focusing back on the real topic, because I certainly hope I can move on from all of this..." Kiyome muttered on the last part, as she already felt a headache from just being near the Devils. She then sighed, before she turned towards Takeshi.

"Alright Takeshi-kun. I think we've heard plenty enough about this situation. I believe what we should do from here, right?" Kiyome asked.

Takeshi didn't respond, but he grew a conflicted look on his face while biting his lip.

A part of him wants to completely stay out of the affairs of Devils, Fallen Angels, and Exorcists. After all, they were the ones who kept dragging him into trouble in the first place. The only time he got dragged into trouble without the former mention is with those Stray Exorcists, but that isn't a constant event happening in his life. Takeshi wanted nothing more than to stay out of trouble and practice being a great Magician.

On the other hand, the part of him is calling out that he should make Yuuto happy, as it is his duty to make the people around him happy. He completely sympathized with Yuuto, losing the people you cherish in a single moment.

So now, he was stuck at a crossroad. Stay out of the situation and not get dragged into deeper trouble, or help someone in their time of need and follow his principles.

"Takeshi-kun, I seriously hope you are not considering this." Kiyome told him with a stern tone. Surprisingly to her, Takeshi gave out a frustrated sigh while scratching his head.

"Takeshi-kun?" Kiyome asked with surprise and concern.

"Kiyome-chan, you're really making this hard..." Takeshi said with a tired tone. "I understand that you're concerned for my well being and keep me out of trouble. But at the same time, I can't sleep well at night if I left someone alone, not fulfilling my goal to make others happy around me. You know this is something I can't just turn a blind eye towards." Takeshi told her.

"But this is something that is way over our heads Takeshi-kun! Think about it! What can you possibly hope to accomplish with what you have? I'm sorry if I sound like I'm looking down on you, but you're just an Enchanter! Even if you have improved, that still isn't enough to fight a Excalibur Fragment or a Cadre himself! Why can't you see that?" Kiyome argued.

"Even so, I'll do everything I can to help Kiba! Even if it is just 20 or 10%, I'll still be able to make a difference!" Takeshi responded with a determined tone.

"Oh yes, make that small percent difference while risking your own life! Honestly, do you not care about your own life at all!?"

"I do care about my own life! But how can I honestly live my life, knowing full well that I turned my back on someone in need?"

"U-Um, I don't mind if he helps or not, really-" Yuuto tried to interject, but was soon silenced by Kiyome.

"You be quiet!" Kiyome commanded the Knight, to which the young blond man immediately complied. Kiyome immediately turned her attention towards Takeshi.

"Takeshi-kun, there is a limit to how far you can take that ideal of yours. Do you know how many times you came close to losing your own life? The only reason you've survived is because of luck or someone intervening. I don't think that someone is going to come in and save you this time. So why...?" Kiyome questioned while looking a bit pained to see why her friend is willing to risk his life.

Takeshi stayed silent for a bit, before he closed his eyes.

"...I honestly can't come up with a good reason to convince you to let me help them. But..." Takeshi opened his eyes and gave a determined look.

"Kiyome-chan, this is something I must do. My body is screaming at me to do it. No matter how many times you deny me, I will still go through it." Takeshi told her, making Kiyome blink upon Takeshi's rather strong and bold words.

"Even if you told me not to do it, for me not to do so is like disgracing my father's ideals." Takeshi continued, and clenched his hand in determination. "He gave me a purpose in life. He is responsible for helping me find a direction. He helped me shape who I am today. For me to just disregard this ideal for my own safety? This is like me saying I'm giving up on becoming a Magician. Just like you have your pride in being a Monster Tamer and being part of a family of one, I have my own value with my father's ideals." Takeshi answered with a resolute tone.

After he answered her, the two then fell into a silent moment. The two friends gave each other strong looks, neither one backing down. It continued for a moment, before Kiyome gave a tired sigh and her shoulders dropped a bit.

"Honestly Takeshi-kun, how far will your stubbornness go? I knew you go through things once you set your mind to it, but this is a whole other level." Kiyome told him while shaking her head.

"I've probably heard that more than I should have." Takeshi replied with a small smile. Kiyome sighed tiredly.

"I should've known I should've dragged you out of this sooner, because you hearing that story is the final nail in the coffin for me." Kiyome acknowledged.

"Alright, you can help them." Kiyome relented, making Takeshi's expression brighten.

"Really? Thank you-!" Takeshi was about to thank her, but she cut him off.

"But on one condition!" Kiyome interrupted him, catching Takeshi off guard.

"Wha-?"

"If you're going to get yourself involved in this mess, that doesn't mean I'll stop supervising your activities." Kiyome told him, making Takeshi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh!?" Takeshi made a surprised sound.

"That's right. I'm going to watch over you so you won't do anything reckless." Kiyome folded her arms underneath her bust, unknowingly letting it rise, while giving a firm stance that she isn't budging. Issei gave a lecherous grin upon the sight, before he winced when he felt Koneko elbow him on the side. Hearing this, Takeshi broke out of his shock and gave her a look of concern.

"B-But Kiyome-chan! This is dangerous! I don't want the risk of you getting hurt in all of this!" Takeshi reasoned.

"How do you think I feel when you're getting into this?" Kiyome retorted, making Takeshi wince upon hearing her answer.

"But its different for me compared to you Kiyome-chan..." Takeshi returned, before Kiyome huffed.

"You forgot Takeshi-kun, that I am a Beast Tamer. I have plenty of monsters to protect me from harm. Just because I do not have any magical powers like you, that doesn't make me weak." Kiyome told him.

Takeshi's eyebrow twitched a bit upon hearing this, and gave a defeated sigh, seeing how he is cornered in this one.

 **[I believe this is how your friend feels when you get into trouble. I believe she is going to be a lot more stressed, knowing your luck.]** Jingzhu told him.

'...I guess I know why Kiyome-chan is so insistent on keeping watch over me. She's just really worried about me.' Takeshi thought, and it felt good knowing how much Kiyome cared for his well being. Seeing how much he worried her, he made a small smile.

"...Looks like I can't beat you. Alright, you can come Kiyome-chan. But you need to stick by my side at all time." Takeshi told her. Kiyome simply smiled in amusement.

"Funny, I should say the same thing to you."

* * *

 **(Few Days Later - Classroom)**

A few days have passed since the group has begun their search for Kokabiel and the Excaliburs. Unfortunately, not a lot of progress has happened. This made Takeshi both worried and relieved.

He is worried that Freed might be out there causing harm once more, dragging innocents into this. On the other hand, he feels a bit relieved that Freed hasn't approached them yet, because Kiyome might get hurt in the conflict.

And every time Kiyome came along in the search, he made sure to pay attention on what is happening around her, making sure that no harm comes her way.

Jingzhu promptly told him that this is what his childhood friend is feeling when he gets himself in troubling situations. Takeshi understands why Kiyome is trying to prevent him from the situation, because of the unpleasant feeling that she has for him. Regardless, Takeshi has his goals to work with, and he must continue on.

Currently, Takeshi decided to meet up with Issei and talk a little bit about their search.

"Not much has progressed, huh?" Takeshi commented while taking a bite from his salmon onigiri. Issei nodded in agreement while heavily sighing.

"I know. How does that shitty priest and a Cadre hide in this town? It's ridiculous!" Issei said while scratching his head in frustration.

"Language." Takeshi softly chided Issei with his language.

Issei merely grunted as he rested his head on his hand. Takeshi frowned a bit and closed his eyes in thought.

'Jingzhu, you're were a part of the reconnaissance and intelligence group of the 108 spirits, right? Is there any advice to search for searching for Kokabiel?'

 **[With all of my observations, I'm afraid we're still lacking the information we need to find him. It it true that I was part of reconnaissance and intelligence group, but my speciality is more for scouting. To make things more difficult, I'm unfamiliar with the Japanese lands, especially since so much time has passed. Even if you were to show me a map of the area, there are too many places that Kokabiel would be located. I suppose that is both a good and bad thing. Good that you haven't encountered him because of his strength, but it's bad that we can't find out what he is exactly doing at the moment.]**

'Agreed. Kokabiel is someone I can't fight alone. Even I know that most of my spells can't work well against him. Even if I were to use your strength Jingzhu, I'm afraid the horses won't stand a chance against him.'

 **[Hmph. That may be so, but you still haven't discovered the trump card that lies within your Sacred Gear.]** Jingzhu told him, all the while looking miffed that horses aren't able to stand a chance.

'Trump card?' Takeshi asked.

 **[Oh right, I haven't told you this yet. Well, I don't know how much you know about Sacred Gears, but do you know the term Balance Breaker?]**

'Balance Breaker? What's that?' Takeshi asked, sounding curious by this new term.

 **[Balance Breaker is basically considered the final form of the Sacred Gear, where it unleashes its true power. What you are using now is just the basic form. Once you acheive Balance Breaker, you will attain power none other than before.]** Jingzhu explained to him.

'Oh wow...' Takeshi thought in amazement. 'That sounds rather overwhelming. I'm kind of curious what Balance Breaker my Sacred Gear has.' Takeshi thought.

 **[You'd have to earn it first Takeshi. This isn't something you can earn on the spot. On the other hand, I feel that you are not ready to handle the Balance Breaker the way you are. You still have a long way to go.]** Jingzhu told him.

'Darn. And just when things got interesting too.' Takeshi thought with a slightly disappointed tone.

 **[Then I would suggest paying attention to your surroundings.]**

'Hm?' Takeshi wondered why Jingzhu said that, and looked up to see Asia pinching Issei's cheek while Motohama and Matsuda were glaring with envy at Issei.

"Ahia-khan vhat ar yu duong?"

"…" Asia stayed silent while still pinching his cheek

"Damn it! Ise, you Ero-daiou! You have violated the Occult Research Club! And not only that, but you also receive that kind of treatment from Asia-chan! Nuooooooo!" Matsuda shouted in anger while holding his head down.

"…We know, Ise. Apparently you link your arms with Rias-senpai and Asia-chan after your club activity, don't you? Are you trying to go home while having two flowers in your arms? You should get blown away to a different dimension and get melted by slimy monsters."

"...Did I miss something?" Takeshi muttered in confusion, looking at the talk between the group while he simply sat by the sidelines.

"By the way, Ise. What are you going to do about the plan for karaoke and bowling?" Motohama asked.

"Asia and Kiryuu are going. So is Koneko-chan. Oh, by the way, you interested in coming along as well Takeshi? You can bring Abe-senpai along as well." Issei told him. Takeshi smiled a bit in interest.

"Karaoke and bowling? I haven't done that in a long time. Last time I did is when me and Lubbock were in middle school. Good times, good times." Takeshi said with a nostalgic tone, before he nodded.

"Sure, sounds like fun. I'll ask Kiyome-chan if she's interested in coming along as well." Takeshi agreed.

"Uooooooooo! Asia-chan, Toujou Koneko-chan, and the hot Kiyome Abe-senpai! I can put my tension up with this!" Matsuda shouted with tears leaking from his eyes.

*SMACK*

A certain someone then smacked Matsuda on the head, and Takeshi recognized her to be Kiryuu.

"I'm sorry for going as well." Kiryuu told him with an npleasant face.

"Fu. You are just an extra of Asia-chan. We already have a person wearing glasses, and that's Motohama. Well it's alright."

"What's with that attitude, Matsuda? Don't put me in the same group as that perverted glasses. He will just taint our group."

"This woman! Motohama's glasses are special because it can calculate the BWH of girls! He's different from you!"

Kiryuu just smirked upon hearing that.

"Did you actually think that he is the only one with that ability?" Kiryuu announced to them.

[!] The Perverted Trio felt uneasy upon this. Takeshi just blinked in confusion, before he looked down at his watch.

"Oh, sorry, I better go now. Kiyome-chan and I agreed to meet up after lunch to discuss some things. Later." Takeshi told them as he sat up and left the group.

"Fufufu, you got off lucky..." Kiryuu quietly said, before she decided to focus back onto her targets. Takeshi was blisfully unaware of the events that transpired and the ability that Kiryuu had.

* * *

 **(Park)**

Another night followed up for the group, and they've continued their search. Takeshi is accompanied by his childhood friend Kiyome, who was walking close by him while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Takeshi then glanced behind him to see his other companions.

'Well, having more company does feel reassuring, but...' Takeshi thought as he looked at a particular someone. Or something.

The figure is an armored figure with a dark black color. But what makes it stand out the most is the lack of its head. It was currently riding on a large black horse. It also had Kiyome riding along with it.

"...Hard to believe I'm actually walking alongside a Dullahan." Takeshi commented.

The dullahan is a European monster or animated armor that grants it wielder unmeasurable strength. However, the trade off is that the wielder is unable to take it off due to its curse. It was supposed to carry its head as well, but Kiyome told him that the head had a hernia and is in hospitalization.

It made absolutely no sense to Takeshi to see how a headless armor, along with its head, caught hernia. It just made him very confused about the armor in question.

"I know. I have faced a few of them in the past, but I never expected to have one accompany us." Yukina added in as she glanced at the horse.

 **[A fine and strong horse indeed. It is certainly up to par with Bucephalus. Possibly.]** Jingzhu commented while looking at the horse with interest.

"But of course. I have worked hard in taming this monster. The ones that you fought in the past are merely the wild types." Kiyome said with a bit of pride.

"I see...so this is a monster tamer..." Yukina commented, before she turned to Takeshi.

"You certainly have interesting friends, do you?" Yukina pointed out.

"You don't know that half of it." Takeshi responded with a chuckle. Yukina returned a small smile, before she gave him a curious look.

"If you don't mind me asking Takeshi-san, why did you decide to get involved in this? I didn't know you had such a close relation with the Devils." Yukina asked.

"Oh, that? Well, the Devils and I have a solid co-existing relationship with each other. I'm not saying that I'm buddy-buddy with them, but I see them as good people from what I've seen so far. And as for my helping, let's just say I'm helping a certain someone get their happiness." Takeshi answered.

"Helping someone get their happiness?" Yukina said with a confused tone.

Takeshi gave a small smile.

"I think I'll tell you later. Right now, I think we should-" Takeshi started, before he felt bloodlust around him. Yukina sensed it to, as she immediately looked up to see a figure dropping from the sky while honing in on Takeshi. Yukina immediately moved as she pushed Takeshi out of the way and raised her spear to block an incoming strike. The two metals met, causing sparks to fly.

Takeshi, who was caught off guard and pushed away, looked to see who the attacker was. His eyes widened in recognition to see who it is.

"You!" Takeshi said in surprise.

The man in question, while pushing his blade against the spear, gave a glance at him. The Stray Exorcist simply looked at him with slightly widened eyes.

"Ah~? Well well, if it ain't the shitty Magician! Long time no see! Did you miss me? Did you get stronger? Can I kill you know?" Freed asked excitedly. Yukina gritted her teeth as she was holding her spear against the sword. Seeing the trouble she is in, Takeshi immediately worked on his magic.

" **Asteroid!** " Takeshi shot magical bullets at Freed, making Freed separate from Exorcist and jumped back for some distance. Seeing the distance, he stood in front of Kiyome and raised his staff.

"Kiyome-chan, stay back. Do not get off the horse and rely on Dullahan's protection. Himeragi-san and I will take of things from here." Takeshi instructed to her. Kiyome bit her lip, before she hesitantly nodded.

"...Alright. But if things go bad, then I will step in and make sure you will get out of it." Kiyome told him, making Takeshi nod at her.

"Fair enough." Takeshi responded, before his staff glowed with power.

'Based on what I know, Freed uses guns, swords, and flash bombs to make his escape. But I'm not seeing a gun so far...is it possibly holstered and hidden in his clothing? Possibly. But both his hands are on that peculiar sword. And if I remember correctly, the Excaliburs are stolen, which must mean that he has...' Takeshi concluded, before he decided the best course of action.

The sword is very dangerous, and must be dealt with with caution. So the best way is to amp yourself up with power.

" **Keen Edge! Reflex Boost! Haste!"** Takeshi casted three of his Enchanter spells on Yukina, making her weapon glow white with energy while a yellow energy envoloped her. It was then a lightish-green tint surrounded her.

 **Haste** is an Enchanter spell that speeds up the allies's action movements. It is different from **Overunner** because, unlike **Overunner** , this spell doesn't give a speed boost.

And to add in a good measure.

" **Thorn Bind Hostage!** " Takeshi then casted magical thorns to come out of the ground and ensnare Freed. However, Freed just gave a hungry smirk as his sword glowed.

"Ha! I was expecting that you shitty wizard! Don't think I learned anything from out last match!" Freed exclaimed as he soon disappeared into a blur, avoiding the magical vines. Takeshi's eyes widened when he saw Freed avoid this.

 **[On your right Takeshi!]** Jingzhu warned, making Takeshi turned his head, only to see Freed closing in on him with his sword raised. His eyes widened when he saw Freed about to attack him.

'Crap!' Takeshi thought as he attempted to move out of the way.

"Die! You shitty wizard!" Freed cried out in glee as he swung down his blade.

"Takeshi-kun!" Kiyome cried out in horror as she watched her childhood friend about to be attacked by Freed.

"I won't let you!" Yukina said as she pushed Takeshi out of the way once more, this time with a lot more force, sending him falling towards his back. She narrowly avoided being cut as she blocked with her spear once more.

"Gah! You annoying bitch! I was finally going to enjoy my kill!" Freed said with annoyance. Yukina just held her ground and made herself push Freed.

 **[Takeshi! I believe you need to use the power of the horses! This is someone you can't fight with this kind of number!]** Jingzhu warned him.

Takeshi, who pushed himself off the ground, nodded as he pushed up his glasses.

'You're right. That sword gave Freed a huge boost in speed. If that's the case, I'll fight fire with fire!' Takeshi thought as he summoned his Sacred Gear in his hand and raised it up.

"Tikibalang!" Takeshi called out, whipping down his Sacred Gear. A short flash occurred, making everyone turn their heads towards the flash of light. Their eyes widened when they saw Takeshi's Tikibalang standing in front of them. Takeshi then pointed his staff towards his summon.

" **Overunner!** " Takeshi then casted the speed support spell on his summon, making the demonic horse figure neigh while energy surrounded it.

"Take him out!" Takeshi commanded. The Tikibalang complied with its summoner, as it bent its legs, and leapt towards Freed with a good amount of speed thanks to the spell Takeshi casted.

"Oi oi, summoning freaks out of nowhere!? What are you, a freak magnet!?" Freed cried out in annoyance as he found himself trying to avoid the Tikibalang's strikes. He then had to raise his sword to his right to block an incoming strike from Yukina's spear.

The Stray Exorcist soon found himself occupied with the two opponents, and Takeshi saw this to gain some distance and get near Kiyome.

'This isn't good...Freed has a boost in speed. And I've never dealt with that much opponents the specialize in speed. The best I could do is keep a good distance away. Kiyome-chan, on the other hand...' Takeshi thought with grimace, seeing how this situation isn't looking good for the two of them. He then eyed the dullahan, and noted the power and defenses it had. After seeing this, he decided the best possible thing he could do.

"Kiyome-chan, I need you to lend me your dullahan for a moment, and I need you to keep a good amount of distance from here as possible. Freed's sword grants him speed that we cannot react to, so distance is needed." Takeshi instructed her. She frowned upon hearing this.

"What about you?" Kiyome questioned.

"Don't worry, I'm not going close near Freed. I'm going to be a good distance away from him, but I'll also be in front of you. You'll just keep a lookout just in case Freed directs his attention towards me. You keep tight on the horse. Your dullahan will be in your place." Takeshi explained to her. Kiyome frowned in thought, before she hesitantly nodded.

"...Alright. Don't do anything reckless Takeshi-kun. You nearly got hurt because of him." Kiyome warned him.

"Thanks, I'll take that into consideration." Takeshi simply replied as he raised his staff. Kiyome turned to the animated armor and nodded at it. The dullahan complied with her orders as it got off the horse and walked next to Takeshi. Takeshi then pointed his staff towards the dullahan.

" **Accuracy support!** **Gain Immunity!** " Takeshi casted the two spells on the dullahan, making the armor gain a yellow glow.

The first spell, **A** **ccuracy support** , is rather straightforward given the name. It simply boosts the accuracy of allies, or in other words, increase the "hit rate" of your ally.

The second spell, **Gain Immunity** , is a defensive support spell. It raises the target's resistance power, and keeps it away from certain bad statuses. For example, you can protect an ally from being burned when hit by a fire spell. Sure, it still damages them, but the after effect aren't as harsh if the target wasn't given **Gain Immunity**. In this case for the dullahan, he's making sure that the Dullahan has a good chance of hitting the fast Freed while also giving it defense against his sword.

"Go!" Takeshi told the Dullahan. The armor simple bent its legs, before it begun to sprint towards Freed. Takeshi then charged up a spell at the end of his staff and a semi-transparent sphere appeared at the end of it.

" **Nightmare Sphere!** " Takeshi then engulfed the area of battle into the sphere. Freed's eyes widened when he found himself within the area of the sphere, and felt his body feeling sluggish and heavy.

"W-What the hell!? The hell is this shit!?" Freed yelled, before he found himself blocking an incoming fist from both the Tikibalang and the dullahan. Freed cried out in pain as he was sent flying by the two forces, crashing into a tree. He staggered up a bit, before his sword glowed a bit.

"Excalibur-chan, get me out of this mess!" Freed commanded the Excalibur, and soon made himself move into higher speeds. But thanks to the **Nightmare Sphere** , his speed is somewhat inhibited. Yukina saw the opportunity as she closed in on him.

"I won't let you!" Yukina closed in on Freed, thrusting her spear once more. However, the speed of the Excalibur soon sped up and deflected the blade. And due to the momentum of the blade, the force was enough to knock it out of her hand.

"Hah! Not so tough without your spear, you little bitch!" Freed cried out as he was about to slash her. But he was soon caught off guard when Yukina closed in on him once more.

" **Young Lightning!** " Yukina thrust her palm into Freed's abdomen, and lighting surged from her hand and strike Freed. The Stray Exorcist cried out in pain once more as he was sent flying back. This time he crashed into a light pole.

'I didn't know she could perform lightning magic! I thought the Church usually stays away from Magic...' Takeshi thought in surprise, as he watched Yukina pick up her spear. He then noticed the effects of his **Nightmare Sphere** disappearing.

He wasn't surprised, seeing this disappear sooner than his previous casts. He modified his **Nightmare Sphere** to have a greater area range, but the trade off is that the duration of the spell is short. But seeing how things were executed, he'll take what he can get.

'I don't have much magic with me after so many spells cast...' Takeshi thought, seeing how many spells he managed to cast. 'I really need to work on improving my magic reserves. All I can do for now is hope Yukina and the others finish this off. I can only use the last of my magic to cast a shield to protect me or Kiyome-chan.'

Freed coughed a few times, and coughed out a bit of blood.

"D-Damn it, you filthy bitch! Don't shit with me! There's no way in hell that you can beat me and my Excalibur-chan!" Freed growled as he attempted to stand up.

"I may not have, but don't forget that I wasn't the only one fighting. I had others to support me. Especially Takeshi-san." Yukina said while nodding at Takeshi. Freed's eyes widened upon hearing that name, and glared at Takeshi.

"Ah...that's right. That shitty Magician...always making things difficult for me! Oi oi, what's your problem!? Out of all the Magicians I fought in the past and killed, you are the most annoying! Seriously, what the hell!? Come fight me face to face you damn coward!" Freed screamed at him.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you'd win against me in a one-on-one fight. So I'd rather not." Takeshi simply responded.

"Oh now you admit it..." Kiyome muttered.

Freed weakly chuckled as he clenched tightly to his Excalibur once more.

"Well you know what? Here's what I say to you and you shitty Devil lovers!" Freed screamed as he reached into his coat and pulled out a familiar gun. Takeshi's eyes widened when he saw Freed pull it out.

'Not good!' Takeshi thought as he saw Freed point the gun towards Kiyome. Kiyome's eyes widened when she saw the gun pointed at her. Yukina's eyes widened upon seeing this and immediately moved in to stop him. Seeing this, Takeshi immediately went in front of her and casted a shield spell to appear before him.

Seeing this reaction, Freed smirked as he got the reaction he wanted.

"Psych!" Freed jeered, before he pointed his gun at Yukina. Yukina's eyes widened when she saw the gun pointed at her.

Pulling the trigger, Freed fired his gun.

 _Bang!_

Yukina narrowly dodged the bullet as she forced her body to move to the side, only managing to graze her shoulder. However, Freed saw this and smirked as Yukina dodged the bullet. His sword glowed, and immediately went into a blur once more.

Takeshi's prepared himself for the incoming strike the Freed might come to them, but it was to his surprise when Freed didn't appear near them. His ears picked a pained ring through the air.

"Neeeeigh!" a pained neigh sound was heard, and Takeshi turned to see Tikibalang being stabbed from behind.

"Tikibalang!" Takeshi cried out towards his summon.

The demonic horse neighed weakly, before fading away into golden dust.

"Ha! Good riddance! This freak of nature needs to stay dead! And speaking of the dead...!" Freed turned his sights towards the dullahan.

"You're next!" Freed went in on the Dullahan.

"Oh no!" Kiyome cried out in dread as she watched Freed going in to attack her dullahan.

Just as Freed was about to cut down the animated armor, a new voice entered the scene.

"I won't let you!" a familiar voice cried out. Takeshi soon felt a blur past him, and close in on Freed. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"Kiba-san!" Takeshi said with recognition. His ears picked up footsteps behind him, and turned to see Issei, Koneko, and Saji running up to their group.

"You guys!" Takeshi exclaimed with surprise.

"Sorry we're late! We had a bit of trouble finding where you were. But after all that commotion we heard from the distance, we managed to find where you are!" Issei told him. Takeshi gave a relieved breath.

"Thank goodness. Things weren't looking good for us here Issei." Takeshi told them. As soon as Issei's name was said by Takeshi, Freed heard the name as he pushed back Kiba.

"…! Is that you, Ise-kun? Heeee. Well isn't this a weird reunion!? How is it? Has your Dragon power increased? Is it all right to kill you now?" Freed asked with excitement while grinning excitedly. Issei grimaced upon hearing Freed once more, and decided the proper response to the man's presence.

"Boosted Gear!" Issei summoned his Sacred Gear.

 **[Boost!]**

As soon as Issei's power doubled, Saji went into action.

"Stretch my line!"

 _SWISH!_

Something that looked like a skinny black hand left Saji's hand and headed for Freed. On his hand, there was a cute looking deformed lizard face equipped. The line was coming from its mouth. Then that skinny hand was the tongue of the lizard!

"Such a pain!"

Freed tried to knock it away with his holy-sword, but the lizard's tongue changed its direction and went downwards. It stuck onto Freed's right foot, and it started to swirl around his leg. Freed tried to cut the tongue off with his swords, but it went past as if the tongue didn't have any physical form.

"You can't cut it that easily. Kiba! With this he can't escape! Beat him down!"

"Ah! Good going Saji! Even my bindings weren't good enough! That's an amazing ability you have there!" Takeshi said with amazement while looking at Saji's equipment.

"Heh, I guess you really are a novice Magician after all if your spells can't hold him down." Saji smirked a bit, and it irked him when he saw Takeshi chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah, still got a long way to go." Takeshi simply replied with an accepting tone.

"Thank you!" Yuuto thanked him as he rushed in on Freed with two demonic swords.

"Chi! So it's not only the "Holy Eraser", I see! Having multiple demonic-swords. Are you the possessor of "Sword Birth", perhaps? Wow. You are guilty of having a rare Sacred Gear, you know!" Freed laughed like he was enjoying it.

"But. Normal demonic swords can't put up a challenge against…"

 _KACHIN!_

Yuuto's two demonic swords broke upon a single swipe of Freed's Excalibur.

"…my Excalibur-chan."

"Ku!"

Yuuto created two more swords to replace his broken ones.

"Be careful Kiba-san! Freed's Excalibur grants him and his sword a large amount of speed!" Takeshi warned the Knight.

"Takeshi-san is right! Freed's Excalibur is dangerous to fight alone! Let me help!" Yukina said as she stepped in while preparing her spear.

"Yeah! Kiba, do you want my power?" Issei asked.

"Don't interfere! I can still go on!" Yuuto declined. Takeshi frowned upon seeing this.

'This isn't good. Kiba-san's is under psychological stress and anger after seeing the Excalibur. Reasoning alone won't easily influence him. I can help him with **Keen Edge** , but my magic reserves are low after my barrier spell. And I don't think my **Keen Edge** will provide Kiba-san an advantage against the Excalibur fragment.' Takeshi thought while troubled upon the situation.

"Hahaha! The way you look at my Excalibur is scary. Do you perhaps hold a grudge against it? Well I don't know what happened to you! But if you get cut by this, you can't avoid being eliminated without a trace you know? You will die, you know! You are going to die! Just die!" Freed leered as he jumped.

Yuuto attempted to block the attack making the demonic swords appear around the area. However...

 _KACHIN!_

The holy-sword, which was covered in white-blue light, broke Kiba's swords in a single blow. Freed did his second strike without any moment to spare. Before Freed could hit Yuuto, Yukina intervened as she clashed her spear against the Excalibur.

"Don't forget about me!" Yukina exclaimed as she swung her spear sidewards to slash him. Freed managed to block the incoming blade in time.

"Keh! Stop ruining my moment!" Freed yelled in annoyance.

At the same time, Takeshi noticed Koneko picking up Issei, and blinked in surprise upon seeing what is happening.

"…Ise-senpai. Please help Yuuto-senpai." Koneko simply told the Pawn as she threw him into the air.

"Uooooooooo! Koneko-chaaaaaaaan!" Issei cried out in panic as he flew through the air. Takeshi and Kiyome couldn't help but sweatdrop at the action.

"...Was throwing him really necessary?" Takeshi asked.

"...Yes." Koneko simply replied.

It was thanks to Koneko's throw that Issei managed to get close to the blond Knight.

"Kibaaaaaaaa! I will transfer my power to youuuu!"

"Uwah! Ise-kun!"

 **[Transfer!]**

It made a sound and the Dragon's power went into Yuuto. There was an aura coming out of Kiba's body. There was quite an amount of magical power covering his body.

"…I have to use it since I received it! "Sword Birth"!"

 _ZAN!_

Blades errupted around the whole area. It covered from the ground, light pole, and even the trees.

"Chiii!" Freed made a noise with his tongue, and then started to break the demonic swords going at him.

 _SWISH!_

Yuuto disappeared with his demonic-sword as soon as he found an opening. He used the demonic-swords as a platform and moved around freely. However, Freed was able to keep track of him.

 _SWISH!_

Along with the sound of the wind, there was a demonic-sword heading towards Freed! Yuuto threw one of the demonic swords when he was using the demonic-swords as a foot path. It was then several demonic-swords came at Freed from every direction.

"Uhaa! That is a good circus trick! You rotten Devil!"

 _KACHIN! KACHIN! KACHIN!_

Freed knocked away the demonic-swords one after another with an expression of excitement.

"It it weren't for that shitty wizard, I would've bragged on how my Excalibur-chan won't lose to anything in velocity!" Freed shouted as he disappeared into a blur. He then destroyed all of the demonic-swords and then rushed towards Yuuto.

 _KACHIN!_

"It's not working!" Yuuto was shocked as he saw the demonic swords in his hand crumble.

"DIE!"

The moment Freed's sword was going downwards at Kiba…

 _PULL_

 _CLASH!_

Freed's body was pulled back, and he lost his balance. At the same time, Yukina managed to intervene once more as deflected the blade to protect Yuuto. She then thrusted her spear multiple times at the Stray Exorcist, but with the speed of Excalibur Rapidly, he easily deflected each block.

It was then Saji's lizard pulled its tongue back, which made Freed lose his stance. At the same time, the lizard's tongue made a shallow light. It looked like it was coming from Freed and going into Saji.

"…This is!? Shit! Are you absorbing my powers!?" Freed exclaimed in shock.

'He can absorb power? He keeps on coming with surprises...' Takeshi thought as he looked at Saji in surprise.

"Heh! How's that! This is my Sacred Gear "Absorption Line"! As long as this line is connected to you, your power will continue to be absorbed by my Sacred Gear! Yeah! Until you lose your consciousness that is!"

"Wow, that's an impressive Sacred Gear..." Takeshi commented.

 **[So it can absorb power and the line can't be cut? Bah, basics. You, on the other hand, can have a variety of powers with the power of horses. And it's a Dragon Type Sacred Gear, how very unique...]** Jingzhu scoffed at the sight of the Sacred gear, while giving a sarcastic tone at the end.

"…Dragon-type Sacred Gear is it!? The most troublesome type. The initial ability isn't that much of a threat. But when it grows, the destructible power surpasses other Sacred Gears on a whole different level. Scary. Man, it is such a nuisance!"

Freed tried to take it off again with his holy-sword, but there wasn't a scratch on Saji's Sacred Gear.

"Kiba! It's not the time to be complaining! Just beat that guy! The problem with the Excalibur can come after that! This guy is seriously dangerous! Just standing in front of him makes me tremble! If we leave him be, he will also cause harm to me and Kaichou! I will weaken him by absorbing his power with my Sacred Gear, so take him down at once!" Saji suggested a plan.

"I agree. Let's do our best to take him down." Takeshi said with a small smile and nod. However, his words and smile towards Saji only proved to irk him even more.

"C'mon, act a little jealous here...it doesn't feel as satisfying as I thought..." Saji muttered.

"…I feel reluctant, but I also agree to finish you off here. There's still two more Excaliburs that were stolen. I will have to hope that the other two are strong."

"Ha! I'm stronger than the other two, you know? So! The moment you four beat me, there aren't others who will put up with you guys! Are you sure? If you kill me, you won't have any holy-sword battle that would satisfy you." Freed said it with a disgusting smile. Yuuto's eyes also changed after hearing that.

"Hmmm. "Sword Birth" huh? It's a Sacred Gear that can have an infinite number of powers depending on the possessor." a voice came out of nowhere. The group became alarmed by the new voice, and Issei turned his head to find an old man wearing priest clothes standing there.

"…Is it you old-man Balba?" Freed recognized.

'Balba Galilei!' Takeshi thought in recognition, and his eyes widened upon the sight of the man. 'Wait, what is he doing in a place like this!? Did he come to get Freed, or does he intend to interfere in the right and help Freed? He may be old, but looks can be deceiving.' Takeshi thought as his body tensed and readied himself for whatever is about to come.

"…Balba Galilei!" Yuuto growled while glaring at the elderly man with hatred.

"I certainly am." Balba replied normally, before he turned to the Stray Exorcist.

"Freed. What are you doing?"

"Old-man! I can't run away because of this guy's weird lizard tongue and this shitty wizards's constant use of his strings!" Freed complained.

"Hmph. You still can't use the holy-sword perfectly yet. Use the "element" I gave you more wisely. I'm researching because of that. Gather the holy element that is running throughout your body to the blade of the holy-sword. With that, you should be able to cut it."

"Yeah, yeah!"

It was then Freed's blade glowed brighter than Takeshi has ever saw.

"Like this! Horyah!" Freed swung his blade, immediately cutting Saji's Sacred Gear.

'Not good!' Takeshi thought. However, it was too late as Freed jumped back.

"I will be escaping now! The next time we meet will be the time of our ultimate battle!" Freed told them.

The Stray Exorcist was about to escape when another person entered the fray.

"I won't let you escape!" a familiar voice cried out as someone sped past the group and clashed blades with Freed.

'It's Xenovia!' Takeshi recognized.

"Yaho! Ise-kun!'

"Irina!" Issei shouted in surprised.

"Freed Zelzan. Balba Galilei. Rebels. I will cut you both down in the name of God!"

"Ha! Don't say the name of the hateful God that I hate! You bitch!"

Freed and Xenovia exchanged swords, but Freed then took something out. Takeshi recognized what it was.

"Not good! Everyone, it is going to flash-!" Takeshi tried to warn the group, but Freed threw the ball to the ground. It was then a large flash enveloped the area, blinding everyone in the sudden light. Takeshi managed to shield himself from the flash, but the moment he lowered his arm is when he saw the two gone.

"We are going after them Irina, Yukina!"

"Okay!"

"Got it!"

The three Exorcists nodded at each other and sprinted from here.

"I'm going after them too! I won't let you escape Balba Galilei!" Yuuto growled as he took off with his Knight speed.

"He…hey! Kiba! Geez! What's going on!" Issei cried out in frustration.

'They're going after the enemy! This isn't good! They haven't fully thought out what to do from there, which can lead to all kinds of trouble!' Takeshi thought, and decided to catch up with the group so they wouldn't do anything reckless.

And this is coming from the guy who constantly chooses to head into dangerous situations.

"Hey guys, wait for me-gh!" Takeshi attempted to follow them, only to be held back by someone who grabbed him by the back of the collar. He turned around, only to be surprised to see Kiyome holding him back.

"Kiyome-chan!?" Takeshi asked in surprise, before she yelped as she gave a harder pull on his collar, back him step back and get closer to her.

"And where do you think you're going Takeshi-kun? We're you seriously going after them where you don't know what you're getting into? That's reckless and dumb Takeshi, even for you! And you saw the power of that sword that Stray Exorcist used!" Kiyome scolded him, making him wince a bit upon hearing that.

"But Kiba-san and the others are doing the same thing as well! I'm trying to prevent them from-!" Takeshi reasoned, but was soon cut off by Kiyome.

"Enough about them and focus more on yourself! Don't risk your life for the sake of others! This isn't something you can disregard so easily!" Kiyome told him while glaring at him.

"But-!" Takeshi tried to reason, but was soon cut off by another voice.

"When I thought that the flow of power was irregular…"

"This is certainly troublesome."

The group froze, and turned to see two people standing there.

"Ise. What's the meaning of this? Explain." Rias said with a serious face. Sona looked at them with a serious expression as well.

When Takeshi made eye contact with Sona, two words can only come up in his mind.

'...Aw crap.' Takeshi thought at the sight of his magic tutor.

* * *

 **Alright, and that's a wrap to this chapter!**

 **Aw geez, where to start?**

 **So many months of not updating?**

 **Welp, sorry, I couldn't do anything about it. I was really busy with my first quarter of college, and the scientific courses are not merciful, let me tell you that much.**

 **Nothing much happening in this chapter?**

 **Well, to be honest, the Excalibur arc is kind of hard to deviate and change for me. So there isn't much I could do here. And the Excalibur arc is the most hated by me, because it is so difficult to write with. Also, I had writer's block and I practically had to force myself to write out whatever I could think of. So yeah, sorry if this chapter is not up to satisfactory with other chapters.**

* * *

 **(The important question)**

 **Alright, so I've been getting good amount of reviews and PMs telling me about the important factor to this story:**

 **The Harem.**

 **Oh harems, the pinnacle of the DxD stories and fanfics. Naturally, I ended up making a few harems myself in a few other fanfics of mine. But when I look at this story, I could see two potential ways I could take this.**

 **Many of you are rather eager and leaving suggestions for the harem that Takeshi is having. On the other hand, the other part is saying that the harem is unnecessary. Many of you preferring for Takeshi to just have a single pairing.**

 **So I'll tell you what I think of your reviews.**

 **I'm honestly fine with both routes to be honest. If Takeshi is going to have a harem, then okay, he gets a harem. If he's getting a single pairing, I'm completely fine with that too.**

 **And honestly, no matter which route I take, my choices are somehow going to either satisfy or piss you off. Well, that's fanfiction for you, you can't make everyone happy (especially you haters/flamers).**

 **So what do you guys think? Should Takeshi go with the harem route or the single-pairing route? Wherever I go from here is entirely up to you guys to voice out what you want.**

 **BTW, if by chance that a majority of you want a single-pairing route, please know that Kiyome isn't a definite in the pairing. It could be someone else with potential. Just because there's a single route doesn't mean there are a few girls that are going to have feelings for him.** **Just know that having the single-route means you have to choose one girl to end up with Takeshi.**

 **Reviews, PMs, and Polls will be taken into account.**

* * *

 **Read and Review!**


	10. The Warmonger

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any other elements/characters.**

 **Hey guys, it has been a while, hasn't it? Again, I apologize for such slow updates. College, once again, demands my full attention. Especially being a Pre-Med student of all things. Yeah, things aren't going to be easy for me.** **So asides from that, I'll just get right down to what needs to be said and you're right back to your fanfic time.**

 **So after taking account every vote in the Polls, opinions in Reviews, and especially PMs, it seems I have reached a verdict on where I'm taking this story.** **It seems that a majority of you want the harem route, with the single-route being kind of small.** **So like I said last chapter, I am going with what the majority want.**

 **So I guess the Harem route is wh** **ere this fic is going.**

 **To those who wanted the single-route, I apologize. Even if you came up with really good reasons, I'm afraid you are outvoted. I'm sorry that I'm not able to meet with your demands. Hopefully, though, that does not deter you from reading my fanfic. But if you choose to stop, I guess I cannot change your answer, and I shall respect that.**

 **With that being said, please respect my choices and no hate Reviews or PM messages. I have no doubt that Flamers will take the chance to use this against me. I literally groan and face palm every time I see them, seeing how I can simply delete them.**

 **With that being said, let's get down to what you guys truly want.**

 **Chapter Start!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Warmonger**

 **(Park)**

After the battle with Freed, the group, minus Yuuto, Irina, Xenovia, and Yukina, the group took their meeting near the fountain. It was then the Peerage members were forced to do a seiza.

"…Destroying Excalibur. You two…" Rias said with an unpleaseant expression while putting her hand on her forehead.

"Saji. You were doing something like this behind me? You truly are a troublesome child."

"Auuu…I…I'm sorry Kaichou…"

Takeshi just blinked at Saji's reaction towards Sona. He is honestly confused why Saji is turning so pale upon facing his King. Sure, he is in trouble, but this type of reaction tells him that Sona is going to punish him severly after this.

It's rather odd, considering the facial expression he sees on Sona. Over his past interactions with the Sitri heiress, he usually dealt with her neutral, calm, and/or professional character and expression. Seeing her put on a slightly more colder expression didn't really seem much of a difference to Takeshi. To him, seeing this expression only told him that Sona is currently mad or disappointed.

'I'm honestly confused why Saji is acting so scared towards her. She doesn't look that scary...maybe its because he is in trouble.' Takeshi thought to himself. He blinked when he saw Sona turn her head towards the two humans.

"I cannot deny that I am surprised to you two involved in all of this. Especially you Abe-san. You usually choose to stay out of all of this." Sona pointed out. The Beast Tamer simply huffed while crossing her arms.

"Well, if you must know, I did little to get involved in this. The only reason I am here is because I want to make sure a certain troublemaker doesn't find himself in deeper trouble." Kiyome answered while giving a gaze at Takeshi, to which the young Magician sweatdropped at her words and look.

'I'm a troublemaker? But trouble finds me...' Takeshi mentally retorted.

"Is that so?" Sona said while turning her head towards him. Takeshi offered a small awkward smile.

"Well, there's no denying that I did it for a good cause." Takeshi reasoned rather weakly. Sona simply sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Honestly Fuyushima-kun, does our last conversation about the last time you got involved in the Three Factions mean nothing to you? Or do I have to take disciplinary measures to make sure you remember them?" Sona said while narrowing her eyes at him.

"No no, I perfectly remember every single word you said. I can prove it to if you provide me paper." Takeshi offered with a chuckle.

"Is this a joke to you Fuyushima-kun?" Sona replied with an unamused tone. Takeshi simply shrugged.

"I'm just trying to lighten up the mood here. The atmosphere is rather heavy with what's going around. It's not mentally healthy." Takeshi answered. Sona stared at him for a short moment, before she shook her head.

"Never mind that. Fuyushima-kun, if you remember what I said to you, then why did you decide to get yourself involved in this once more?" Sona questioned.

"Well, in my defense, I'm human. My actions doesn't have any significant effect on your politics or relations with the Angels and Fallen Angels. Plus, I'm just an novice Magician. I honestly don't think I'm that significant to you guys." Takeshi started off, before he gave a resolute look.

"But that's not the only reason. I've learned of Kiba-san's harsh past, and seeing all of this burden that he carries on his shoulder doesn't sit well with me. So I've decided that I will help bring closure to him by finding the Excaliburs and destroying them." Takeshi answered.

It was then Sona gave a rather skeptical expression.

"You decided to risk your own life and get involved with the Fallen Angels and Excalibur fragments...all because you want to bring closure to Rias's Knight?" Sona repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Kiyome sighed tiredly while rubbing her temples.

"It's Takeshi-kun's own troublesome principle. He strongly believes that as long as you exist, your role in life is to make others happy. He just happens to take that ideal to a whole other level." Kiyome explained.

"There's nothing wrong in making sure that everyone achieve their own happiness." Takeshi stated firmly.

"Look how happy it's making me..." Kiyome said with a dry tone. Takeshi gave a sheepish smile.

"Sorry Kiyome-chan. I can make it up to you by treating you to sushi." Takeshi offered.

"That's not going to make things better!" Kiyome responded with a indigent tone.

"Then what do you want me to do then?" Takeshi asked with a puzzled tone.

Before the two could continue their little argument, the two heard a certain someone clearing their throat. The two turned their heads, and saw Sona standing their with an unamused expression.

"We have no time for your arguments. Right now, we have more important matters to discuss, specifically Fuyushima-kun's actions." Sona told them, making Kiyome huff at her.

"Well if you must know, I've been already telling that to him. But unfortunately, once he sets his mind to something, he just won't stop." Kiyome told her.

Sona's eyebrow slightly twitched upon hearing what Kiyome said. Not at Kiyome brushing her off, but hearing the part where Kiyome said "setting his mind". Those words reminded her of her own certain eccentric family member. But she put that in the back of her head and focus on the real matter at hand.

"I see...regardless, Fuyushima-kun, it seems you have acted quite reckless once more, once again risking your life in this. This sort of behavior is something I do not approve. Honestly, no matter how many times I tell this to you, you can't seem to listen." Sona stated.

"I'm ready to accept whatever punishment you may give me. But I believe we have more important matters at hand. Such as the Excalibur and the possibility of Kokabiel in this area?" Takeshi reminded.

Sona simple gave out a small sigh in response.

"Unfortunately, this is true. We have more pressing matters at hand." Sona said, before she turned her attention towards Saji. "But first..."

Saji immediately paled upon seeing Sona turn her attention towards him once more.

It was then Takeshi blinked owlishly upon seeing the sight before him. Kiyome simply raised an eyebrow upon what she witnessed. Issei winced upon seeing the sight as well.

'I think...I understand why Saji is scared of Kaichou. Because he's afraid of...this.' Takeshi thought.

[SLAP!] [SLAP!]

Before Takeshi's very eyes, Takeshi watched Saji getting his butt spanked. Rather hard with Sona covering her hand with demonic power.

"Looks like you need to reflect on your behaviour."

"Uwaaaaaaan! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me Kaichouuu!"

"No. 1000 spankings."

[SLAP!] [SLAP!]

"...As I thought, Devils a very weird and disturbing people." Kiyome muttered.

"...I believe you are stereotyping Kiyome-chan." Takeshi told her.

"I don't think so with the evidence right before our very eyes." Kiyome retorted.

"It's called generalizing Kiyome-chan. Not necessarily a good thing. But Kaichou is rather...unorthodox, to say the least." Takeshi commented, wincing was he watched Saji receive another spank. It was then he watched Rias pulling her two servants into a hug.

"…You two really are stupid children. Making me worry so much…" Rias said with a gentle voice.

"Uwaaaaaaan! Kaichouuu! They finished with a good atmosphere! And why doesn't Fuyushima get the same punishment as well!?"

"They are them. We are us. And Fuyushima-kun will be punished, but that doesn't excuse you from discipline."

[SLAP!] [SLAP!]

If there is one thing that Takeshi learned from tonight...It's that Sona gives rather painful spanks as punishment.

He partly knew why Saji is afraid of her now.

* * *

 **(Home)**

After wrapping up everything at the park, Takeshi and Kiyome decided to call it a day and head home. Takeshi sighed tiredly as he opened the front door to his house.

"Well...that happened." Takeshi commented as he and Kiyome entered into his home.

"Honestly...this is the reason why I stay out of the Devil's business. You have no idea what is going on with them. Because I certainly want to forget a few events..." Kiyome said while shuddering at the memories.

"At the very least, we managed to get some things done. Unfortunately, Kiba-san and the other Exorcist ran off on their own. I hope they're safe." Takeshi said with a bit of worry.

"Rather than worrying about them, why not focus on getting rest yourself?" Kiyome told him. Takeshi gave a tired sigh while stretching his body.

"I guess you're right. I can't do anything at the moment, and all I could do now is rest." Takeshi said with reluctant agreement.

"From the sound of your voices, I can tell that you two encountered some interesting events." Erika said as she walked into the room. Looking at the state at the two, she could only nod at this. "And it seems like I'm right."

"Unfortunately, we ran into some trouble. Turns out Kokabiel is in this area, because we ran into his henchman. Especially Freed." Takeshi told her, making Erika click her tongue at this.

"That Stray Exorcist? Honestly, that slippery bastard should've been taken care of already. Would've been nice if we were able to take him down at the Church." Erika commented with an irked tone.

"Even if Freed was taken down, I believe that Kokabiel would've been able to find a new henchman to control the Excalibur swords. Still, I would've gone with the other person rather than Freed. His mentality and personality is disturbing and dangerous." Takeshi said while slightly shuddering at his memories with Freed.

"Even beasts are more tame than that psycho." Kiyome agreed.

"Well, if that is the case, I better go report this to Azazel. Hopefully, he'll be able to act on this and prevent the worst from happening." Erika told them.

"Good idea. We better get our rest before the storm comes." Takeshi agreed.

* * *

 **(Bedroom)**

Takeshi gave a tired sigh as he collapsed onto his bed, tired from all of the events that have happened today. He lets his arm cover his eyes.

'Jingzhu...why do all of these dangerous events keep happening around me?' Takeshi wondered and asked.

 **[I'm afraid life isn't all about peace. Conflict will eventually arise, and you will face one. However, I've never met someone who has terrible luck as you. You keep on getting dragged into all sorts of trouble, intentionally and unintentionally.]**

'That...doesn't make me feel better at all...' Takeshi sweatdropped Jingzhu's words. Jingzhu merely chuckled.

 **[You keep on looking at the negative aspects of your encounters with the supernatural. Think of all the positive aspects. If it weren't for you encountering the Fallen Angels for the first time, you would would have never met Erika, which in turn revealed me to you. You've learned more about your childhood friend and have a closer bond. If it weren't for you delivering that package, you would've never met the true side of your Shinobi friend. Your progress in Magic came forwards thanks to the help of the Sitri heiress, all thanks to one certain encounter.]**

Takeshi blinked upon hearing this.

'...Wow. I never thought of it like that. To be honest, I just took it in stride and simple accepted what I was given. But when you put it like that, I guess there are some benefits from these...' Takeshi thought, before he chuckled. 'Honestly, does this mean I always have to get into trouble to find more opportunities? That's a rather risky and dangerous road for me.'

He heard Jingzhu snort in mirth.

 **[This is coming from someone who disregards his own safety to help a Devil he barely knows? Twice might I add.]**

'Touche.' Takeshi simply responded. 'I guess...my own principles tell me to do this. Even though I want to avoid danger, bringing happiness to others is part of my goal. Honestly, this just makes things way too complicated for me.' Takeshi thought.

He then felt some weight on his chest. Peeking from his arm, he spotted a familiar animal.

"Oh, hey Blair. How is your day?" Takeshi greeted his cat. The car simply meowed while swaying her tail. He simply chuckled as he petted his cat behind the ear. Blair purred at the contact. He gave a slight chuckle.

"Honestly Blair, sometimes you're a sight for sore eyes. Seeing you just washes away all of my troubles. Takeshi said with a soft smile. He then stretched to get the kinks out of his body.

"Well, I guess it's time for bed. Night Blair." Takeshi said as he lifted the cat off of him and gently placed her on the floor. He gave a small yawn and rested his head on the pillow.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, his ears picked up a few ringing noises from his phone. Takeshi sighed, before he got out of bed and get his phone. When he looked at the phone, he blinked at the text message he received.

"...Issei?" Takeshi said with confusion. Unlocking his phone, he read the rest of the message from Issei. Once he finished reading it, his eyes widened.

"Oh no..."

* * *

 **(Family Room)**

After receiving a message from Issei, he gathered Kiyome and Erika into the family room to tell them some rather grave news.

"Kokabiel is invading Kuoh Academy right now!?" Kiyome asked in shock.

Takeshi gave a troubled look and nodded. Erika clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Damn, I didn't expect him to act this soon." Erika commented with a bitter tone.

"I know. According to Issei, Kokabiel intends to wreak havoc at the school in order to reignite a Great War. With that being said, Erika-san, I need you to contact Azazel immediately and tell him of the situation." Takeshi told the Fallen Angel.

"You got it. But there's a problem to this." Erika told him with a troubled look.

"What is it?" Takeshi inquired.

"Kokabiel is a Cadre, so a lot of us know how powerful Cadres are really are. The problem is that each Cadre has the power to easily wreak havoc on a town. No doubt the Devils reported Kokabiel to the Maou, and their reinforcements are coming. However, Kokabiel probably predicted this. Knowing him, he'll set up a single spell that will destroy this town." Erika explained. Takeshi and Kiyome's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait...you don't mean that he's...but he's dragging humans who aren't even involved in this! I thought humans remain out of the question when it comes to the Three Factions!" Takeshi pointed out. Erika shook her head.

"With Kokabiel wanting to start up the Great War, he doesn't care who is involved. In his eyes, humans are nothing more than fodder and trash to him." Erika told him.

"This isn't good...!" Takeshi said with a troubled tone. "We need to stop that spell from happening! If only there is some way that we can cancel that spell!" Takeshi said to himself, before his eyes widened in realization.

"Wait...it might be a long shot, but it might work...!" Takeshi said to himself in realization.

"What? What is it?" Kiyome asked. Takeshi then turned to the two.

"I think I have a way to cancel the spell. The only risk is that Kokabiel is probably going to target me, and the process will take a while." Takeshi told them. Kiyome's eyes widened at this.

"Wait...are you saying that you're going to where Kokabiel is!? Are you crazy Takeshi-kun!? You're heading straight towards death if you do so!" Kiyome told him. Takeshi frowned.

"This is the only way to save this whole area. Kiyome-chan, I need you to get as far away as from the area as poss-" Takeshi tried to tell her, but was soon cut off.

"Out of the question! There is no way that I'm letting you go fight Kokabiel just so you can protect me! Rather than doing that, we can both escape this area together!" Kiyome told him.

"But what about the people here! Don't tell me that you're just going to leave them to their doom!" Takeshi responded. Kiyome bit her lip upon hearing this.

"Even if we did warn them, would the honestly believe us? And even if they do believe us, we can't get to everyone in this area." Kiyome told him.

"That is more the reason I should go! I know this is risky, but this whole area is at risk! We got nothing else to lose!" Takeshi replied.

"It's impossible to succeed in this suicide mission of yours!" Kiyome shot back.

"We won't know unless I try!" Takeshi argued.

"Um, guys?" Erika intervened.

"What!?" Kiyome responded with an aggravated tone.

"While you were arguing, I just reported to Azazel about Kokabiel being here. And I have both good news and bad news." Erika told them.

"What is it?" Takeshi asked.

"Good news, Azazel sent someone to take down Kokabiel, and he happens to be our White Dragon." Erika informed.

"Dragon?" Takeshi responded with confusion.

"Our Hakuryuukou. He's kind of like the rival of the Sekiryutei. You know, the guy that holds the Boosted Gear." Erika informed. Takeshi blinked upon hearing this.

"I didn't know you had him on your side." Takeshi said with surprise.

"We don't exactly make it public news. And the bad news...well, we don't know when exactly the Hakuryuukou will arrive. He will appear, but we don't know how long he'll get here." Erika told them. Takeshi grimaced upon the news.

"So there is no guarantee that the Hakuryuukou will make it in time. That means I definitely need to stop that spell no matter what." Takeshi said with a focused tone.

"Takeshi-kun, this is crazy! You're seriously going to fight a Cadre!? This is stupid! Even someone like you should recognize it! There is too much of a gap in power for you!" Kiyome practically yelled angrily at him, as if she is seeing the most stupidest decision she has seen in her life.

"Maybe so, but I'm not doing it alone. Kaichou and the others are fighting Kokabiel, and the best I can do is provide support with my powers." Takeshi answered with a firm tone.

"And he's not going alone. He has me with him." Erika told her as she hefted up some sort of weapon that was covered in cloth.

"Even so, chances are that Kokabiel can kill him in a blink of an eye! Even with all of you there, you don't have the power to fight on even ground with him! There is no way I'm allowing this!" Kiyome argued.

Seeing that his childhood friend was stubborn once more, Takeshi sighed.

"...I see you're not that set on allowing me to go. I understand your reasons Kiyome-chan, but..." Takeshi said as he raised his hand in front of her, making her blink at the gesture.

"...Forgive me Kiyome-chan. I promise I'll make it up to you after all of this." Takeshi told her as a soft green light begun to glow from his hand.

" **Astral Hypno.** " Takeshi chanted, making the spell takes it effect on its target. Kiyome's eyes grew heavy, and soon felt herself drifting to sleep.

"Takeshi...kun..." Kiyome tried to say out her next words, but soon collapsed forward as the spell took affect. Takeshi managed to catch her, and gave her a sorrowful look.

"I'm sorry." Takeshi told her sleeping form, before he sets Kiyome on the sofa. He gave a tired sigh, seeing what he just did.

"She's going to be mad after she wakes up." Erika told him.

"I know. But this is for the best, and there isn't much time to be wasted." Takeshi told her.

"I guess you're right. We gotta get moving if we don't want to waste anymore time." Erika told the young Magician.

"Right."

Opening the front door, he and Erika walked out. He took in a deep breath and exhaled, and summoned his Sacred Gear. Raising the whip up into the air, he whipped down the Whip of the King of Horses, and a short flash appeared.

Once the flash died down, it revealed to be a be horse-like creature. Its hind legs and lower body resembled that of a horse, but its front, front legs, upper body consisted that of an eagle with sharp talons.

"You know...when it comes to your Sacred Gear, it's honestly pretty weird. As long as you think of a creature that is at least horse related, then it can be summoned." Erika commented.

Before them was a creature known as as the hippogriff, a legendary creature told from various tales, ranging from Latin poet Virgil's _Eclogues to_ by Ludovico Ariosto's _Orlando Furioso._

Takeshi climbed onto his steed, and Erika jumped right on it and sat behind Takeshi. Takeshi took a deep breath, before grabbing the reigns. He then casted multiple **Spider** spells to attach to his body while binding to the hippogriff itself.

Takeshi's experience with flying steeds is little to none. However, Jingzhu told him that flying steeds are just like regular horses, and simply use the basics that he knows. With Takeshi's proficiency over the basics of horse riding at this point, the only thing Takeshi can do is leave it up to chance and help him get to Kuoh faster.

"Ready when you are!" Erika told him.

"Right! Let's go!" Takeshi said as he pointed forward, making the hippogriff give an eagle like screech before flapping its wings and taking off for the sky. The two made their ways towards Kuoh Academy.

* * *

 **(Kuoh Academy Entrance)**

After soaring through the skies of Kuoh, Takeshi managed to get to Kuoh faster than he imagined. Takeshi blinked when he noticed a barrier around the whole school, and squinted his eyes to see a bunch of people in front of the entrance of the school. Deciding to get closer to the ground, the hippogriff descended towards the ground. Once his steed landed, Takeshi gave a breath if relief.

"Made it." Takeshi said to himself. He then got a good look at the people behind the barrier, and blinked when he recognized that it was the Student Council in some formation, while concentrating on what he could guess the barrier. He then noticed the person in the center recognized who he is, and looked at him with a bit of surprise.

"Fuyushima-kun." Sona said with surprise. She lowered herself to the ground, and blinked at what she saw.

"...Is that a hippogriff?" Sona asked with a slightly surprised tone.

"In the flesh. Sort of." Takeshi answered, before he gave her a serious look. "What's the status of the situation right now?"

Sona frowned while glancing behind her.

"Rias and the others are off fighting Kokabiel, even now as we speak." Sona said, and the two heard explosions going off in the background. Sona frowned further.

"It's unfortunate we can't help in the battle, but we need to focus on maintaining the barrier so we can make sure that no danger will come in our out of this battle." Sona explained, before she turned to Takeshi.

"What about you? What are you doing here? And who is she?" Sona questioned while looking at Erika. Erika simply smiled while waving.

"Hello there. Just a friend of Takeshi-kun here. I'm here to help. Don't worry, I'm stronger than I look." Erika simply answered.

"Another cute chick around Fuyushima?" Saji muttered while having the energy to give an small annoyed and envied look at Takeshi, not that they noticed.

Takeshi gave a confirming nod towards Sona.

"You can trust her Kaichou. Erika-san and I decided that we will help in this battle. Kokabiel is an opponent not to be underestimated, and we need all the help we can get. I believe my powers as an Enchanter must give the group an edge." Takeshi told her. 'Not to mention, stall the Cadre before the Hakuryuukou shows up.' Takeshi thought.

Sona frowned upon hearing this. "...I won't question who exactly is she, considering the time we have. And unfortunately, you may be right. We need all the help we can get before reinforcements arrive. Even though I'm supposed to keep you out of trouble, I'm afraid with the situation, it's forcing my hand." Sona said with annoyance. Not towards him, but more at the situation. It was then a hole formed in front of them. Seeing the entrance granted for them, Takeshi whipped his reigns, making the hippogriff move forward.

As he moved past the barrier, Sona turned her head towards him.

"Fuyushima-kun...despite your past actions and what I've told you multiple times in the past...do no be reckless." Sona told him. Takeshi simply gave a small smile towards her.

"Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I might buy myself a new grimoire." Takeshi joked, before he commanded his steed to take off towards the battlefield.

* * *

 **(School Courtyard)**

"So what's the plan?" Erika asked as they glided over the school and on their way to Kokabiel.

"Kokabiel is someone we can't defeat easily. Right now, our best bet is to stall him while I prepare a way to nullify his spell." Takeshi told her.

"Well that certainly lighten the load off of mine. But I highly doubt Kokabiel will ignore if you so much as go for his spell." Erika told him.

"That's why hopefully, the others are fine. If I can coordinate them into distracting Kokabiel, then I might have a chance to do it." Takeshi commented, before he nodded to himself.

"Right now, the best way is to fight him in numbers. I'll even use my Sacred Gear to provide support." Takeshi told her.

"Sounds solid. So how are we going to enter the battle then? We can't exactly just show ourselves without a little flare if you know what I mean." Erika told him. Takeshi hummed, before he nodded.

"Good idea. I know the perfect spell to enter the battle." Takeshi told her.

With their short strategy meeting ending, Takeshi and Erika soon found the battle taking place, and saw Kokabiel standing right in the center of it. Meanwhile, behind him was a huge magic circle currently glowing with power. Rias and her Peerage, along with the Exorcists, were standing on the opposite side of the field. But it was to Takeshi's surprise that he didn't see Yukina there.

As soon as they saw their target, Takeshi raised his staff.

" **Electrical Fuzz!** " An electrical orb formed in front of Takeshi and launched towards Kokabiel.

Kokabiel looked up, only to see multiple electrical orbs flying towards him. He simply raised his hand to block the incoming projectiles, only to be caught guard when the results he expected didn't come.

 _FLASH!_

The electrical orbs soon glowed brightly, bright enough to be considered a powerful flash bomb.

This is another modification that Takeshi made to his Enchanter spell list. The **Electrical Fuzz** , with all its intents and purposes, was specifically designed to deal electrical damage while having the orb continuously stick around the target and damage it over time. The spell itself is weak, so Takeshi decided to use that fact to his own advantage. Rather than having the spell focus on damage, he has the electrical orb focus on shining brighter, to the point where its considered an equivalent of a flash grenade.

So he focused more on blinding the enemy rather than damaging the enemy. A more useful and effective attack.

Kokabiel, being caught off guard by this blinding attack, was blinded for a few seconds

And those seconds were all Erika needed.

Erika soon jumped off the steed and headed towards Kokabiel. She then grabbed the handle of the sheathed sword, and soon took it out of its cloth. The blade she held is about 180 cm long, with the blade alone being 140 cm long.

It was then energy particles soon glowed around her, and Erika accelerated into higher speeds towards Kokabiel. As soon as she closed in on Kokabiel, she swung her blade down.

 _SLASH!_

"Gh!" Kokabiel grunted in pain, feeling a large slash on his upper arm, despite him guarding at the last possible moment when he was blinded. Seeing that he was attacked and regaining his sight again, Kokabiel then swung behind him to deal with his new opponent, only to be met with nothing. He looked only to see Erika leaping back while having a small sly smirk on her face.

Before he could even say something about her, his sight soon picked up a faint glow beneath him. Looking down, only to see multiple orbs floating near him.

" **Meteora!** " Takeshi signaled his explosive bullet spells to explode.

Kokabiel was soon engulfed in a large explosion with the nature of the spell, enveloping him in energy and smoke afterwards.

Seeing that their surprise attack worked on Kokabiel, Takeshi then landed himself onto the ground near Rias, her Peerage, and the Exorcists.

"Takeshi-kun!?" Rias asked with surprise.

"Takeshi!" Issei responded with relief and joy.

"Sorry I'm late. I did my best to get here in time." Takeshi apologized to them.

"While it may be true, your timing is rather good." Akeno pointed out with a small giggle. Takeshi gave a small sheepish smile, before he frowned when he turned his head towards the smoke cloud and the large magic circle.

"...I've heard about the situation from Issei. How much time do we have before the spell detonates?" Takeshi asked. Rias frowned in response.

"Unfortunately, the spell started 15 minutes ago. We only have 15 minutes left before this whole town is leveled." Rias answered, before she looked at Takeshi's hippogriff.

"...Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that a hippogriff?" Rias couldn't help but ask when she looked at what Takeshi is riding on.

"Technically, yes." Takeshi answered. When he was met with questioning looks, he could only sigh. "It's a story that can be explained another time. Right now, I'm afraid all I did to Kokabiel was just merely stun him for a bit." Takeshi said as the smoke started to clear up.

"Unfortunately, Kokabiel does have some impressive endurance compared to other Cadres." Erika commented with a flat tone as she got near the group. Rias and the others looked at her with surprise.

"You're that Fallen Angel from that incident...!" Rias said with surprise.

"A Fallen Angel...!" Xenovia said with alarm as she attempted to grab her sword and ready herself, before she winced and fell onto her knee from her injuries.

"Yo, long time no see Gremory and Peerage. And hello to you Exorcists" Erika greeted with her usual chipper tone. "While I would love to stay and chat, I have some unfinished business with Kokabiel here. So don't worry, I'm not your enemy in this situation." Erika reassured them.

Takeshi saw their skeptical expressions and decided to defend Erika.

"Trust me Gremory-senpai. Erika is here to help. And even if it weren't the case, would you really want another opponent to fight." Takeshi reasoned. Rias narrowed her eyes upon hearing this, and gave a sigh.

"It seems I do not have much choice in the matter. However, that brings up another question. Why is there a Fallen Angel with you?" Rias asked. Hearing this question, Takeshi gave a nervous chuckle and small awkward smile.

"...Long story?" Takeshi answered with an unsure tone.

Before Rias could question Takeshi even further, another voice entered the scene.

"If you are done chatting amongst yourselves..." Kokabiel spoke up after being silent for a good amount of time, and walked out of the smoke. His clothes were slightly singed by the blast, but other than that, he was completely fine.

"I believe we have a battle to attend to." Kokabiel told them, before he noticed the two newcomers to the battle.

"And what is this? I was told there was a Magician in this town by Freed, and for you to be here. Amusing." Kokabiel said with amusement, before his went to Erika.

"Oh? Another Fallen Angel that intends to oppose me? Are you a siding with that fool Azazel?" Kokabiel questioned. Erika gave a small smirk as she prepped her sword.

"Well yeah. If I didn't, would I really attack you just now?" Erika retorted. Kokabiel then sneered at her.

"Pitiful. A Fallen Angel such as yourself choosing to stay dormant, where we're just on the brink of victory against those two disgusting factions? Such wasted potential, only to be wasted on the likes of the fool Azazel." Kokabiel said with distaste, before he his eyes widened a bit.

"Wait a moment...I recognize you now." Kokabiel said with recognition, making the other surprised upon hearing this save for Takeshi and Erika. He then began to chuckle while shaking his head.

"You're that pathetic excuse of a Fallen Angel, even for you to exist even among us proud and superior race." Kokabiel laughed at the fact, making Erika narrow her eyes upon hearing this, while Takeshi narrowed his eyes while clenching his fist, as he exactly knew where this is going.

"Oh here we go." Erika muttered to herself while rolling her eyes, hearing this sort of thing over and over again.

"So Azazel sent you of all people to thwart my plans? He must've been pretty foolish to send you of all people to stop me! He could've send a mere common 2 winged Fallen Angel to do the job, but he sent you? Ha! That fool never ceases to amuse and piss me off!" Kokabiel sneered, before he produced a sword of light in his hand.

"Well now, I'll have more of pleasure wiping out your pathetic existence rather than feeling disappointment!" Kokabiel said as he raised his sword, preparing to attack.

"Well then, sorry to say Kokabiel, but I'm afraid you won't enjoy that type of feeling." Erika retorted.

"Oh, and why is that?" Kokabiel said with amusement.

"Because your attempt at trying to insult me just scored us enough time for Takeshi-kun to set up this." Erika revealed.

Kokabiel then noticed a glow underneath him once more, but was all around him. It was then multiple azure thorns wrapped around Kokabiel. Kokabiel raised an eyebrow at the magical thorns wrapping around him.

"Do you really think simply thorns will bind me? It doesn't bother me in the least." Kokabiel said as he was about to break the thorns. However, Takeshi knew to act immediately.

Takeshi immediately dismissed his summon, making the the summon fade away in gold dust. The others were surprised by this, until the saw a flash appear in Takeshi's hand. Raising his whip, he then swung it down.

This new figure had the body of a regular horse. However, rather than having the neck and head of a typical horse, it was something different. Instead stuck out a body of a human man. It had the appearance of a calm-looking man. He wore an archaic style of dress, and had long grass green hair that was tied in small pony tail at the end of his hair. In his hand was an elegant looking bow.

Everyone was surprised by the sudden appeareance of this new figure, but Takeshi simply pointed forward Kokabiel.

"Shoot your bow, Chiron!" Takeshi commanded.

Chiron simply nodded, and pulled back the string of the bow, shooting the arrow at impressive speeds. It was fast enough to cut through one of the magical vines. And with the vine being cut, it led to its effect.

A magical explosion soon engulfed Kokabiel, making the Cadre actually grunt in pain upon receiving intense damage from the Enchanter spell. And with him being occupied by the damage, Erika soon sprung into action and closed in a Kokabiel.

"Wait...Chiron...as in, the legendary centaur from Greek Legend!?" Rias exclaimed with surprise, along with her Peerage and the Exorcists. Except for Issei, as he didn't know too much about mythology.

Chiron is indeed the legendary centaur from Greek mythology. The wisest of all centaur and teacher to many Greek heroes, especially the renowned Achilles. He is especially known for his medical and archery skills.

Takeshi didn't bother answering her as he dismissed Chiron, making the legendary centaur fade away in gold dust. Instead, his mind was already focused on his strategy, as he raised his whip once more, he whipped it down, resulting in another flash.

He only needed Chiron for his long range capability, able to cut through the thorns to damage and distract Kokabiel. The rest of the battle, if Takeshi predicts correctly, will not suit Chiron's battle style.

Replacing Chiron is a horse with a body similar to the Tikbalang. It had the head of a horse, and an upper humanoid muscular body. It's body tone is brown. It wore blue and golden bracelet. It had a tribe skirt. Its lower body consisted of horselike legs and hooves at the end, and it had a polearm axe.

"Assist Erika-san Mezuki!" Takeshi ordered.

The humanoid horse neighed loudly and sprinted forward that surpassed speeds of the Tikbalang on Overunner.

"Wait...Mezuki!? The Mezuki from Chinese Buddhist mythology!? Since when did you have a Mezuki as your familiar?!" Rias asked incredelously.

"I'll explain later!" Takeshi replied back while focusing on the battle at hand.

The horse-like figure he summoned this time is the Mezuki. This particular horse related creature did come from, like Rias mentioned, from Chinese Buddhist mythology. Along with the Gozuki, an ox headed humanoid demon, he works in the underworld under King Enma, where the creature punishes the damned, and also guards the gates to the Chinese afterlife, or Diyu in correct terms.

With the Mezuki joining the fray, the two weapon users engaged Kokabiel in combat.

Kokabiel produced two sword of light and raised them to defend himself. The Mezuki went first as it swung down its polearm, the blade clashing with Kokabiel. Kokabiel effortlessly, pushed back the guardian of the Chinese underworld, sending it back flying. Erika then followed up the attack by swinging in an upper diagonal slash. Kokabiel managed to shield himself from the attack, and simply smirked, seeing how easy it is.

However, he was soon caught off when an intense glow appeared underneath him once more. He once again grunted in pain upon feeling the impact of the spell.

Erika smirked, see how catching Kokabiel off guard with the Thorn Bind Hostage worked. She then decided to follow it up by going in once more, this time aiming for the thorns that are easy to hit. Mezuki followed that notion as well and followed Erika.

The two then slashed the other thorns, causing more magical explosions to follow up, making Cadre actually cry out in pain as he was taking this damage, and soon roared in frustration.

"How annoying!" Kokabiel roared as he created a shockwave of wind around him, pushing back Erika and Mezuki from the Cadre. The warmonger then looked down at the remaining thorns and grabbed hold of them.

"I'll just tear them off then!" Kokabiel then grabbed hold of the azure thorns and was about to tear them off. However, Takeshi knew this was going to happen as he charged up another spell.

" **Electrical Fuzz!** "

Takeshi then shot forth another Electrical Fuzz spell towards Kokabiel. Kokabiel looked up to see the spell coming towards him, and reflexively raised his arm to shield himself from the flash.

However, it never came, much to Kokabiel's confusion. He lowered his arm, only to be met face first with an electical fuzz to the face. It didn't do that much damage the Cadre, but he growled in annoyance.

"It was just a-!"

Kokabiel didn't get to speak another word as saw another **Electrical Fuzz Orb** coming at him. Seeing this, he decided to backhand the annoying orb so it won't be in his face again, but was again caught off guard when an Electrical Fuzz flashed brightly in front of him, blinding the man once more.

"GAH!" Kokabiel cried out in pain while he was blinded once more.

'Alright! Seems like my psychological tricks are working on Kokabiel!' Takeshi thought while pointing his staff at Kokabiel.

Takeshi's main aim is to catch his opponent off guard.

He knew Kokabiel is going to shield himself from another flash. That is why he tricked Kokabiel with using a regular electrical fuzz orb, hitting the man directly in the face with an electrical fuzz spell. Takeshi then followed it up with the second Electrical Fuzz orb this time with the flashbang effects.

'No matter how strong you are, as long as you can get caught off guard, we'll have an advantage!' Takeshi thought. Seeing how Kokabiel was occupied with Erika and the Mezuki, he turned to the rest of the group.

"Everyone, I need your help at the moment if we're going to stall Kokabiel and have reinforcements arrive." Takeshi told everyone, and frowned at the battered conditions they are in. "But seeing your conditions, it seems you guys aren't exactly fit to fight."

"Don't be too assuming Takeshi-kun. My Peerage and I can still-" Rias tried to protest, but she winced she grabbed onto her arm, probably due to an injury.

"I was afraid of this." Takeshi grimaced a bit, before he shook his head. "Listen, I have a plan to stall Kokabiel and stop that spell of his. That way, we have more time for backup to arrive."

"True, we don't have to defeat Kokabiel. We have to stall him till Maou's forces arrive." Yuuto agreed with that.

"Right. I have a plan that might work, but its pretty much a 25 precent chance. Unless you guys have better strategies." Takeshi told them. Rias frowned upon hearing this and looked at the condition her Peerage is in.

"Unfortunately, we are not in the most ideal condition for my plans to tackle the Fallen Angel." Rias responded while looking frustrated upon letting this happen to them.

"Don't worry. You guys don't have to do much." Takeshi answered. "I'm running low on magic as well. However, I need to ask. How much magic do you guys currently have?"

Everyone blinked at the question he asked, and Rias was the first one to answer.

"I used up a lot of energy after my last spell against Kokabiel." Rias answered.

"Same for me." Akeno followed.

"I have a decent amount." Yuuto spoke up. Koneko silently nodded in agreement as well.

"I can boost and use Gift to everyone, but that'll take time." Issei answered, making Takeshi blink at this.

"Gift?" Takeshi asked with a bit of confusion.

"It allows me to give my multiplied power to my allies or objects." Issei simply explained. This made Takeshi's eyes widened upon hearing this, and many ideas flew through his head at that moment.

"I see...alright, that's good! This is perfect!" Takeshi said with elation, making Issei blink in surprise upon hearing this.

"With Issei's ability, this might make my plan more effective and easier to pull off! This increased to a 75% chance that this will work!" Takeshi said to everyone.

"What plan are you talking about?" Rias asked with a confused tone.

"I'm going to use a spell to evenly distribute magic among us. This'll give me a recharge in my current magic reserves. This should allow me to use my magic to stall my battle with Kokabiel longer. Meanwhile, Issei..." Takeshi said as he turned to the Boosted Gear Holder.

"I need you to boost as much as you can and use Gift on me." Takeshi instructed, making Issei blink in surprise.

"Eh? But why?" Issei couldn't help but ask.

"I need all the energy I need if I'm going to put a stop to that spell. This is something you have to trust me on Issei." Takeshi asked with a determined tone. Hearing this, Issei simply nodded at him while also giving out a determined expresion.

"We got nothing else to lose! Alright! **Boosted Gear** , c'mon! Give it all you got!" Issei exclaimed while clenching his gauntlet.

 **Boost!**

The Boosted Gear's green jewel shined upon this. Seeing how his plan is in action, Takeshi raised his staff to the air.

" **Mana Channeling**!" Takeshi casted, and soon, a blue ball formed on top of the staff.

It was then everyone around Takeshi soon glowed with a blue aura, and the blue energy soon flowed towards Takeshi's energy ball. All of the energy flowed into the ball, before flowing back out to everyone, including Takeshi.

 **Mana Channeling** is an Enchanter spell that essentially drains all of the energy of the party, and then equally redistributes it to the party members, including Takeshi himself.

When he finished the spell, he clenched his fist and nodded to himself, seeing how this spell managed to restore a good amount of his reserves.

'Yosh! I'm recharged!' Takeshi thought to himself as he focused back onto the battle. Taking a good look at the battle, he couldn't help but frown at the conditions his summon and Erika are in.

Erika looks like she sustained a few light injuries from Kokabiel during their clash, but she is otherwise moving strong. Mezuki was in a similar state as Erika, and kept ignoring the wounds sustained on it.

Meanwhile, Kokabiel was simply fending off the two's attacks, all the while having injuries that were built up from the earlier battle and the damage done from Takeshi's spells. But Kokabiel was able to shrug all of that damage off as if it was nothing.

"Alright! Time to try this technique!" Erika said as her body glowed with energy, and suddenly charged forward Kokabiel with high speed. Kokabiel simply raised his sword to block her incoming attack.

" **Yamatsunami!** " Erika swung down her sword towards Kokabiel with full force.

 _CRASH!_

It was to everyone's surprise when Erika's sword immediately broke through Kokabiel's sword and cuts cleanly and diagnolly across Kokabiel's torso, making the Cadre cry out in pain upon the unexpected damage he received. Seeing this, Erika just gave a small smirk upon the damage she dealt to Kokabiel.

 **Yamatsunami** is a technique she developed where she utilizes the second type of magic she wields: Inertia manipulation. This is where she minimizes the inertia of her and the weapon while closing in on a target at high speed. At the point of impact, the sword technique amplifies the transfer of inertia with the weapon's inertia to strike the target. The overlapping false values of inertia could be further enhanced running from a farther distance. The speed received from the transfer of inertia is coupled with the weight obtained from increased inertia. At its maximum strength, **Yamatsunami** can be compared to a giant, 10 ton guillotine crashing down. This amount of force allowed Erika to cleanly cut through Kokabiel's swords.

Mezuki attempted to follow Erika's strike as well by raising its weapon to behead Kokabiel.

"Damn you!" Kokabiel roared before he folded his wings and blew back Erika and Mezuki with a great amount of force, making a distance between them. Erika grunted upon the force, but soon stopped herself when she dug her feet into the ground. Just as she did, her instincts screamed at her to look up, and she did.

When she did so, her eyes widened when there were a bunch of spears of light floating in the sky, all pointing towards her.

"Since you lack in the long range, you shall die by my spears!" Kokabiel then launched the spears towards Erika.

"Oh crap-!" Erika as she prepared herself for the incoming strike.

"Erika-san!" Takeshi cried out to her, trying to quickly think of a way to get Erika out of there, but he was too far away to cast a barrier spell to protect her.

Just before the spears could reach their target, Erika soon felt a sudden for pulling her body. She was soon pulled back by this sudden force, narrowly avoiding all of the incoming spear strikes as they call crashed into the ground.

"What the-?" Erika muttered to herself in surprise before she looked down at her body. Her eyes widened when she saw waist was wrapped with what appears to be wires.

"Where did those wires...?" Takeshi quietly asked himself while looking shocked by this as well. They soon heard a voice enter the scene.

"Honestly Takeshi, you REALLY have a knack of getting into troublesome situations. What am I going to do with you?" said a voice with amusement, making the others turn their head towards the voice.

Takeshi turned his head to the wide where the trees were, and his eyes widened to see who it is.

"Lubbock!?" Takeshi exclaimed in shock.

It was indeed Lubbock, who stood there while wearing long green jacket with a fur trimmed hood over a white and red ringer shirt and blue jeans with brown shoes.

"Yo!" Lubbock greeted with a cheerful tone.

"L-Lubbock, what are you doing here!? I though I texted you to evacuate when this town was in danger!" Takeshi told him.

Lubbock waved his finger while giving a "tsk tsk tsk" noise to him.

"See, that's a problem right there. Dude, seriously, look at the situation you're in right now. I think you need help in getting out of this situation than I do." Lubbock told him while giving him a flat look.

"But-!"

"Ah ah, not buts! I'm here, and I'm helping out, and that's final!" Lubbock told him while giving a stubborn look.

Takeshi could only look at Lubbock with his jaw slightly dropped, seeing how Lubbock is acting stubborn in helping him out of this situation. Lubbock then turn towards the Fallen Angels.

"I believe we haven't met, which is a same since you're pretty cute, but I'm afraid our uninvited guest has crashed the party. So I'm going to have to...!" Lubbock said before he pulled his arm like he was tugging something.

Kokabiel, who didn't say anything until now, was about to retort to Lubbock's words before suddenly felt his body being constricted, especially around his neck. Kokabiel just made a choking noise while trying to move his body. His strength seems to work against the wires, but the wires themselves were actually cutting into his skin. However, Kokabiel ignored the pain as he managed to grab onto the wires and was about to tear them off. Just as he did, however, Lubbock just smirked.

"By the way, I also ran into a friend of yours." Lubbock added while pulling on the wires to add more force.

'Friend?' Takeshi thought in confusion.

" **Dual Slash!"**

A figure spun into the air in front of the moon, and soon headed towards Kokabiel. The figure crossed two blades in an X-formation, delivering two slashes to Kokabiel's unguarded back, making the Cadre cry out in pain upon receiving the damage. The figure soon jumped away Kokabiel and landed in front of Takeshi and the others. When Takeshi saw who attacked Kokabiel, his eyes widened in shock once more.

"Asuka-chan!?" Takeshi exclaimed with surprise. Asuka simply turned to Takeshi while smiling.

"Hey there!" Asuka greeted.

"W-What are you doing here? I thought-!" Takeshi was about to repeat the same thing what he said to Lubbock, but Asuka answered his questions.

"When I received your text, I've decided to help you and protect this town! It's my duty as a shinobi to protect the innocent and bring justice!" Asuka told him with a resolute tone.

"B-But-!" Takeshi tried to reason once more, before Asuka puffed her cheeks cutely and gave a look that she won't change her mind.

"No buts! My decision is final!" Asuka told him.

Hearing this, Takeshi could only sigh tiredly while his shoulders slumped a bit.

'Is anyone else going to show up?' Takeshi couldn't help but think about it.

It was if fate decided to answer his question, as a figure closed in on Kokabiel from behind and attempt to attack him. However, Kokabiel simply created a sword to deflect the attack, making the figure than flip into the air and land in front of the group.

 **[...You were saying?]**

'...I really need to stop thinking about these things.' Takeshi thought tiredly, before he felt relief and surprise on who he saw.

"It is unfortunate that I'm late. However, it is a good thing I am here." Yukina stated as she prepped her spear.

"You know her dude? She's pretty cute." Lubbock said while giving Yukina a good look, making Yukina slightly blush in embarrassment and gave him a light glare in return.

"She's an Exorcist I've met and worked alongside in a group. I was kind of wondering where she was when I arrived." Takeshi said while giving the young Exorcist a raised eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, I went off into a different direction when I confronted Kokabiel and the others. I then got a bit lost on trying to find this place." Yukina said while looking a bit ashamed for this to happen to her.

"Well, better late than never." Takeshi said with relief, before he looked at Lubbock and Asuka with a bit of worry, seeing how they're putting themselves into this situation.

"Well Takeshi, looks like everyone here wants to lend a hand." Erika commented with a sly smirk.

"I just want to keep everyone safe. Why would they...?" Takeshi sighed.

"Well, we want to keep you safe as well. Is that a crime?" Erika returned, making Takeshi open his mouth, before closing it realizing that he couldn't come up with an answer to that.

 **[You should accept it Takeshi. Just as how I desired to fight along and protect my comrades, I accepted their desire to fight alongside me.]**

'...It's...It's feel kind of weird to be honest...' Takeshi thought.

 **[You better start getting used to it then.]**

"ENOUGH!"

Kokabiel managed to tear of the wires, deeply cutting his fingers in the process, and soon gave out an aura of power.

"I have had enough of this! You people keep showing up like insects! It seems like I have to exterminate every single one of you!" Kokabiel yelled stormily.

"Looks like my wires couldn't hold him very long." Lubbock muttered.

"Even after all that, we still couldn't take him down!?" Asuka cried out in shock.

"It seems our opponent isn't called a Cadre for nothing." Yukina said as she prepped her spear.

"Unfortunately, Kokabiel is one tough bastard to put down. Even with those wounds, he'll still keep fighting on." Erika commented while prepping her sword once more.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the situation.

'Alright...even though its dangerous for Lubbock and Asuka-chan to be here, they can actually help a lot. So with me, Erika-san, Lubbock, Asuka-chan, Yukina-san, and Mezuki on my side, we're a group of six. Erika, Asuka, Yukina, and the Mezuki are close range fighters. Lubbock and I are long range support at best. However, Lubbock is move offensive than mine, so that means...' Takeshi thought while strategizing what is the best thing to do.

Deciding what to do next, Takeshi raised his staff in the air.

" **Overunner! Haste! Keen Edge! Reflex Boost!** " Takeshi casted his three Enchanter spells onto the close quarter fighters of the group. Erika was given the **Overunner** , Asuka with the **Haste** , **Keen Edge** to the Mezuki, and Yukina with **Reflex Boost.**

"Lubbock, use your wires to keep Kokabiel's accuracy off. A second can count." Takeshi quietly told Lubbock, making Lubbock nod at him.

"Erika-san, Asuka-chan, Yukina-san, just wear Kokabiel down! You don't need to necessarily defeat him!" Takeshi told the two.

"You got it!" "Right!" "Roger!"

Takeshi didn't need to tell Mezuki anything as he can mentally command it.

With this strategy in mind, everyone sprung into action.

Erika was the first to close in on Kokabiel with her enhanced speed. Kokabiel responded by launching spears at her in order to prevent her close quarter skills of being any use. Erika used her agility to dodge every single one of them. Asuka and the Mezuki were flanking Azazel on both sides as they closed in on him. Kokabiel then hardened his feathers and used them to deflect the incoming strikes from them, making their blades bounce off.

Erika was within range with her sword and swung down her sword. Kokabiel then formed two swords that glowed intensely with light energy, strengthening them for Erika's technique. Just as he did, however, he soon felt a tug on his leg, and looked down to see wires pulling on his leg, making his balance slightly off.

Erika's blade collided with the two blades, not breaking this time. However, with the wires pulling on his leg, this forced Kokabiel to take a step back. Kokabiel growled as he pushed Erika off of him and then cuts the wires. He soon hovered above the ground and decided to deal with Asuka first. When he closed in on her, Asuka simply prepared her blades while they gave off a green aura.

" **Hanzo Style: Blooming Slash!** " she then spun herself to create a cyclone of blades, making Kokabiel to block the incoming storm of blades with his two swords. The cyclone grind against the blades before Asuka had to end her technique. When she ended it, she soon went on the offensive as she was slashing at Kokabiel with swift strikes thanks to the enhancement Takeshi gave her.

Kokabiel then deflected the blade and attempted to strike her, before he simply blocked a strike coming from his right side with his right wing, blocking the strike from Mezuki's polearm, while also using his other wing to block an incoming strike from Yukina.

 **"Yamatsunami!"** Erika used this chance to close in on Kokabiel once more as he occupied with the other two, closing in on Kokabiel. Kokabiel, seeing her incoming, formed a spear of light in his hand and was about to use to to stab behind him. However, he soon forced himself to block an incoming strike, deflecting an incoming projectile.

Looking to his left, he saw that it was in the shape of a spear. The strange part was the this spear looked like it was entirely made up of wires.

Lubbock simply used his gloves to pull back the wires, making the spear break apart into many wires and returning back to him.

Erika used this chance and swung down her sword to strike Kokabiel. Kokabiel used a gust from his wings to push off Asuka, Yukina, and the Mezuki off of him and made himself move forward, making the strike miss.

Seeing that she missed, Erika simply gave a small smirk when she saw this.

" **Tsubamegaeshi!** " Erika's blade surprisingly bounced off of the floor and headed straight towards Kokabiel, landing a direct cut on the Cadre's back, making the Kokabiel cry out in pain.

Kokabiel then roared with rage and frustration and blew away the fighters with his wings.

"Someone sure is pissed..." Lubbock muttered while trying to figure out the best time to deploy his wires.

Takeshi on the other hand, narrowed his eyes.

'I wish I can help more in this situation with my bullets, but I need to reserve my magic in order to stop Kokabiel's spell. The thing is, I don't know if Issei is...'

"Takeshi!" Issei's called out to him, making Takeshi turn his head towards the Boosted Gear holder. He blinked when Issei was struggling to hold the power he has.

"I'm at my limit! I think I've boosted enough times...!" Issei told him, making Takeshi realize now is the time to execute his plan.

"That's good enough Issei! Now Gift me!" Takeshi told him.

"You got it! Transfer!" Issei held out his gauntlet towards him, showering Takeshi in a green light.

 **Transfer!**

Takeshi's eyes widened when he soon received the energy from Issei, and he felt overwhelming energy flow through his body.

'A-Amazing...! Issei's been storing this much power...!?' Takeshi thought to himself in shock.

 **[That's a Longinus for ya. As must as I hate to admit it, the Boosted Gear is a rather powerful Sacred Gear whose power surpasses even yours. And its a Dragon Type...]** Jingzhu huffed, a bit miffed before deciding to put aside his pride while focusing on the battle he witnessing.

Takeshi clenched his hand, before he nodded to himself as he looked at the magic circle before him. Takeshi turned to Lubbock.

"Cover me!" Takeshi told Lubbock as he soon sprinted towards the circle.

"Takeshi!?" Lubbock said as he was surprised by Takeshi's change in action.

With the given energy from Issei, Takeshi's body felt more lighter than he ever felt, as he found himself running at speeds he never thought before. Within a few seconds, he found himself at the center of the circle.

'Alright! Here goes nothing! Guys, please hold out a bit longer!' Takeshi thought before he slammed his staff onto the ground.

" **Mana Leak!** " Takeshi's staff soon glowed with a blue aura, before the aura began seeping into the magic circle.

As soon as the energy went into the magic circle, the large magic circle itself soon flickered a bit, before yellow energy began leaking out of it at multiple parts. Seeing this, Takeshi's eyes widened.

'Alright! It's working!' Takeshi thought, seeing how his plan is working.

It was then the magic circle itself began to slowly shrink in size, the spell itself losing energy.

Kokabiel then noticed what was going on and looked at Takeshi.

"So that was your plan along! You damn brat!" Kokabiel said as he turned his attention towards Takeshi.

"Don't forget about me!" Erika said as she closed in on Kokabiel with her sword prepared. Kokabiel simply swung his sword with enough force to make Erika's blade move to the side.

Before she could do anything, she cried out in pain when Kokabiel planted his foot on her sides, sending her flying right into a tree.

Mezuki went in to cover for Erika, but was soon pushed back by Kokabiel's strike, sending it grind on its hooves on the ground. Just as it stopped, Mezuki attempted to move in before it was then impaled from behind from a spear of light. Multiple spears of light were in the sky, and rained down upon the Mezuki, making the Mezuki neigh in pain while being impaled by multiple spears. It soon collapsed to the ground, neighing weakly before collapsing. It soon faded away in gold dust.

Kokabiel then launched his spear at Asuka. She jumped to the side to narrowly avoid the incoming spear, but her eyes widened when the spear soon glowed and exploded right in front of her, sending her flying and rolling onto the ground.

He soon did the same thing to Lubbock as he launched a spear at him. Lubbock narrowly dodged the spear as he rolled out of the way, before he suffered the same effect like Asuka as he took full brunt of the explosion, sending him flying and rolling onto the ground.

He soon formed multiple spears of light above him and aimed them all at Yukina, her eyes widened at the incoming strike. The spears then launched, and Yukina spun her spear to deflect each incoming spear. However, one lone spear manage to get through her defenses and left a cut on her right thigh, making her wince in pain upon receiving the damage. She soon leapt back, and looked like she was struggling to stand up.

Seeing how the others were taken out, Takeshi's eyes widened when he saw Kokabiel turn his attention now on him.

"I commend you brat. You've actually managed to give me some trouble despite how weak you are. But in the end, you humans are all the same! Made to die before the Fallen Angel's might!" Kokabiel formed a spear of light in his hand and prepared to throw it.

'Not good! I can't stop now, otherwise the spell will still activate. But at the same time...!' Takeshi thought in panic as he was now stuck in this situation. Yukina stepped in front of him while her right leg looked like it had a hard time standing him, and raised her spear in a defensive manner. Takeshi looked at her with surprise when she did this.

"Die-!"

" **Smashing Pumpkin!** "

It was as if some higher force decided to aid Takeshi once more, as a large pumpkin fell from the sky and crashed straight down into Kokabiel, catching him off guard as he didn't expect it. When the pumpkin landed, it soon glowed with energy, and then proceeded to explode, engulfing Kokabiel in the explosion.

Takeshi, completed taken aback by this sudden intrusion, could only gape at what just happened before him.

"Nya~! Did I miss the party?"

Everyone looked up towards the sky, and soon found a figure in in front of the moon while sitting on what appears to be a giant pumpkin.

This figure revealed to be a young woman tall with large breasts and an alluring figure. She has short violet hair with long strands on each side of her face that curl up and around to resemble her tail. She wore a bauble that can be seen below her neck. She has a set of purple cat-like ears with pink tips instead of human ears, which are initially hidden by her hat. Her black witch's hat coils around at the end and retains her bright yellow cat eyes. She also has two curled up purple cat tails. She was dressed in a witch outfit, which consists of a black-blue dress that shows off her shoulders and wraps around her neck, long, open sleeves that reveal her hands and shoulders, a short skirt with a white frill and long high-heeled boots that curl upwards at the toes.

Everyone looked at the new person who entered the fray, but the young woman didn't pay attention to any of them. Except for one person.

"Nya, as much as I love having attention, don't you have something important to do?" the young woman asked while looking towards Takeshi with a smile.

Takeshi blinked at the woman's words before he realized he realized what she meant. He soon focused on the magic circle beneath him, and soon focused his spell once more.

With the **Mana Leak** in progress, the magic circle began to lose a lot of energy to the point where it is flickering a lot. Not before long, the magic circle was that of a 5 feet diameter.

When Yukina saw this, she soon took this chance and pointed her spear towards the magic circle.

"I, Sword Shaman of the High God and priestess of the Lion, beseech thee. Dawn light of exorcism, spirit wolf of snowy mist, grant me the divine might of thy steel, that I may smite a hundred evil spirits!" Yukina chanted, before multiple magic circles appeared at the end of her spear.

"Hah!" Yukina then thrusted her spear into the magic circle, and energy sparked when the spear and magic circle came into contact. Takeshi looked at her with surprise on what she was doing.

"My spear is able nullify magic! Thanks to you, it makes nullifying Kokabiel's spell much easier! Remember Takeshi-san, this is our fight!" Yukina told him with a determined tone and expression. Takeshi looked at here with surprise, before he nodded at her and focused on what he should be doing.

With the combined efforts of Takeshi's spell and Yukina's nullifying spear, the magic circle soon flickered wildly while magic energy leaked everywhere.

Soon enough, the magic circle itself broke apart, disappearing into golden particles.

"Alright!" Takeshi exclaimed with victory.

"We did it!" Yukina said while looking elated on what she accomplished.

"I can't believe it...he pulled it off...!" Rias said with surprise, along with her Peerage who looked completely surprised by this.

"To think a Magician was able to pull this off..." Xenovia muttered.

"Heh...!" Erika simply gave a proud smirk towards Takeshi while leaning against the tree for support while holding onto her side.

"Hurray..." Lubbock said while he was lying on the floor while putting his arm up in the air.

"We...did it..." Asuka said in relief as she managed to herself up.

The young woman's expression didn't change as she kept smiling towards Takeshi.

The moment, unfortunately, ended quickly when rubble and smoke was blown off of Kokabiel. The Cadre himself looked blooded and bruised all over his body, his clothes was burnt and torn, and his hair was a mess.

Kokabiel just looked at all of them with a pissed expression.

"...So...you destroyed my magic circle, huh?" Kokabiel said to all of them. None of them answered Kokabiel as they stood there with the guard up, so Kokabiel just growled.

"Well it doesn't matter! Since it's gone, I guess I have no choice but to wipe this town out myself!" Kokabiel said as he soon took off for the sky and stopped there. Raising his hands, a giant spear of light soon formed in the sky.

"...This isn't good. If he launches that, this whole area is going to be reduced to rubble." Erika commented while narrowing her eyes at the spear before her.

"What!?" Asuka cried out in shock.

"Oh c'mon, give us a break!" Lubbock shouted in indignation.

"Oh no...I spent all of that effort and magic into destroying his spell!" Takeshi muttered with alarm.

"This isn't good...!" Yukina said with alarm.

Just before Kokabiel could launch his spear, a new voice entered the scene.

"Fufufu. Interesting."

It was at this point that everyone still couldn't stop themselves from surprised by newcomers to this scene.

Everyone looked up towards the sky, and saw a figure floating up in the sky. It descended while cutting the abyss sky by sending out a white light.

A white thing was glowing, which didn't even have a slight shadow in this dark night. It was floating off the ground by an inch. A white plated armour. There were jewels across various locations on the armour. It also had armour on the face so we couldn't see the expression of this person. The eight wings of light growing from the back were giving out a divine glow in the dark night. It had a different shape and colour, but it was similar to the Boosted Gear's Scale-mail.

 **[Well well, that's the Divine Dividing, huh?]** Jingzhu commented.

'...The Vanishing Dragon!' Takeshi thought in recognition and surprise.

"…Vanishing Dragon." Kokabiel said while making a sound with his tongue by the presence of the white armour. "One of the Longinus, "Divine Dividing"… If you are already in armour mode it means that it's in the Balance-Breaker state. "Divine Dividing Scale-mail". Just like the "Boosted Gear" it truly is an annoying thing."

Takeshi gave a look towards Erika, and Erika simply gave a small smile while nodding, as if saying that that things will finally be resolved.

"…So you were attracted to the "Red". Vanishing Dragon. If you get in my wa..."

Before Kokabiel finished his sentence, his black wing went up into the air. Then there was blood coming out of him.

"It's like the wing of a crow. It has a disgusting colour to it. Azazel's wing is much darker and has the colour of everlasting darkness you know?"

Takeshi's eyes widened when he watched the Vanishing Dragon move in speeds so fast that it was enough to catch Kokabiel off guard.

"Y…You! My wing!" Kokabiel cried out in rage and pain upon having his wing plucked off, but the Vanishing Dragon laughed quietly.

"It's a symbol that you have fallen. There's no need for wings for those who stooped down even below the earth, right? Are you still planning to fly?"

"Vanishing-Dragon! Are you opposing me!"

Kokabiel created a countless number of spears of light in the sky, but Vanishing-Dragon wasn't intimidated by it.

"My name is Albion."

 **(Divide!)**

The aura around Kokabiel got reduced immediately, and half of the spears of light in the sky also vanished.

"One of the abilities of my "Divine Dividing". It halves the power of those I touch every 10 seconds. Your power will become my power. You don't have time! If you don't defeat me quickly, you will become so weak that you can't even beat a human."

 **(Divide!)**

"Damn you!"

He tried to attack the Hakuryuukou with a spear of light and a sword of light, but Hakuryuukou swung his arm to the side and vaporised them. While Kokabiel was having a hard time fighting, his powers were getting halved.

 **(Divide!)**

After a few sounds, Kokabiel's movement fell so low that Takeshi believed that with Issei's Gift given to him once more, he can use his offensive spells to give Kokabiel some serious wounds. The Hakuryuukou sighed.

"…Already the power of a middle-level fallen-angel, huh. Boring. I thought I could have a bit more fun…"

Albion disappeared into a blur while creating tracks of light.

 _THRUST!_

The Hakuryuukou's fist went deep into Kokabiel's stomach. Kokabiel's body bent a lot and he vomited on the ground.

"…I…Impossible… me…"

"What? You said a common phrase of a grunt. "Impossible? Me?" What's after that? "This can't be?" Is it?" the Hakuryuukou laughed while sounding amused by this.

"Finally, someone gets it." Erika agreed with the White Dragon.

"Wow, he just got owned." Lubbock said while whistling upon the sight.

"...Amazing..." Asuka quietly said with awe.

"Agreed." Takeshi said while looking at this one-sided fight.

The Hakuryuukou dug his fist further into the Cadre, making the Cadre cry out in pain.

"I was told by Azazel to take you back even if by force. You acted a bit too much."

"You! So that's how it is! Azazel… Azazeeeeel! I…I…!"

 _THRUST!_

The Hakuryuukou's punch hit straight in the Kokabiel's face, making Kokabiel crumbled down and fell onto the ground. It was then the Hakuryuukou put the defeated Kokabiel on his shoulder.

"Looks like I have to carry Freed as well. There are things I need to ask him. We will deal with him after that." the Hakuryuukou walked toward Freed, who was on the ground, was then picked up and carried by the White Dragon's arm. He then tried to fly up while spreading his wings of light after retrieving the two.

 **"Are you ignoring me, huh, white-one."** a voice came from Issei's Boosted Gear, with its jewel shining.

 **(So you were awake, red-one.)**

 **"We finally met, but in a situation like this."**

 **(That's all right. It's our destiny to fight one day. Things like this happen.)**

 **"But white-one. I can't feel the hostility from you like before."**

 **(Red-one. Your hostility is incredibly low as well.)**

 **"Looks like both of us have things that interest us more than fighting."**

 **(That's how it is. We should be having fun by ourselves for a while. It's not bad like this sometimes, right? Let's meet again, Ddraig.)**

 **"That would also be fun, huh. See you then, Albion."**

With the conversation over between them, Takeshi finally gave out a breath and collapsed to the ground, landing on his butt.

"It's finally over." Takeshi said with relief and exhaustion.

"Yep, that's one hell of a fight we got in buddy." Lubbock said while kneeling next to Takeshi and patting him on the shoulder.

"No kidding." Asuka said she sat on her knees with her legs sprawled out.

"You can say that again." Erika agreed, before turning to Takeshi. "Well now, I guess your plan worked. It was rather risky, but you've managed to pull through." Erika told him with an approving smile. Takeshi simply chuckled at her.

"There were a few close calls though, but we won in the end, right?" Takeshi pointed out while also smiling at Yukina for her efforts as well. Yukina simply smiled and nodded at him.

"I guess. Seriously, you and your luck. It gets the better of you, yet at the same time, it supports you. Weird on how things work out like that." Erika pointed out.

"Yep. It's pretty weird like that." Takeshi chuckled.

Meanwhile, the Hakuryuukou finished his conversation with Issei.

"You need strength to understand everything. Get stronger, my rival-kun, I will fight you one day." the Hakuryuukou told Issei, before turning towards Takeshi and his group.

"You." the Hakuryuukou said while pointing towards Erika. The red haired Fallen Angel simply blinked at the gesture and pointed at herself.

"Me?"

"Yes. I was told by Azazel that you are to return back to headquarters now, considering that this whole situation is taken cared of." the Hakuryuukou told her. When Erika heard this, she simply sighed.

"Damn, I guess my vacation is over then." Erika said, before she turned to Takeshi, who stood up and looked at her in surprise.

"You're leaving then?" Takeshi asked. Erika simply gave a small giggle.

"I guess so. Now that things are finally over, I don't have to worry about anyone killing me." Erika answered, before she extended her hand towards Takeshi.

"I gotta thank ya. You make things interesting when you're around. It's just never a dull moment with you." Erika told him, making Takeshi chuckle at this and return the handshake.

"What can I say? Trouble loves to find me." Takeshi said, before giving a grateful nod. "Thanks for all your help, Erika-san."

Erika gave a light friendly scoff as she gave him an expectant look.

"At this point, I think you're free to call me without any honorfics. I could do without it." Erika told him. Takeshi blinked upon this, before he simply nodded at her.

"...Alright then Erika." Takeshi answered while giving a friendly smile.

Erika simply gave a small smile as she turned around and made her ways towards the Hakuryuukou. She nodded at the armored figure, and then the two took off towards the sky, disappearing from everyone's sight.

As soon as they did, everyone soon gave out a breath of relief to see that things have been settled.

"It's...It's finally over." Takeshi gave a breath of relief, before he gave a small laugh. "I can't believe it...we've managed to save the town."

"Yep. And took a group of us misfits to just mess with Kokabiel." Lubbock chuckled.

"Who are you calling a misfit?" Asuka pouted, before she turned to the other person of the group. "So um...are we or are we not going to address her, who just showed up out of nowhere?"

Hearing this, the group noticed this and turned to look at the young woman who was simply watching them with an amused and catlike smile.

"Oh right..." Takeshi said, before he walked towards the mysterious woman. He gave a thankful smile.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you for the help." Takeshi said to the young woman. The young woman then pouted as she leaned towards Takeshi.

"You're so mean. Nyah~, don't you recognize me?" the young woman asked.

Her sentence got multiple reactions from the group.

Takeshi blinked upon confusion, before he turned to the group to see if they were referring to them. The group just looked just as lost as him. So he turned back to her and point his finger at himself.

"Me?" Takeshi asked.

"Yes, I'm talking to you master!" the girl chirped with a cheerful expression.

"M-Master?" Takeshi repeated with a befuddled tone.

"M-Master!?" Asuka yelled out in shock.

"Master!? You lucky son of a-, how come you didn't tell me you had a hot chick serving you!?" Lubbock shouted with envy.

"Takeshi-san, I never knew you had such a lecherous side..." Yukina muttered while narrowing her eyes at him.

"Hold on, this is all news to me as well!" Takeshi told the rest of the group in his defense, before he turned to the young woman who simply enjoyed the situation she is creating right now.

"What do you mean I'm your master? I never met you until now." Takeshi told her, trying to figure out who she is. The young woman simply pouted before she smiled once more.

"Of course we met! I even met you a long time ago when you were a toddler!" the woman told him.

"Toddler?" Takeshi was becoming more confused on where she is going with this.

"Of course. I was all on my own, fending for myself with no roof to cover me and keeping me warm." the young woman said with a mock somber tone and fake tears, before her expression brightened as she leaned in. "Until you came and took me in! I'll never forget your kindness!" the young woman told him, before her eyes gleamed as she decided to give him one more piece of crucial information.

"You even gave me a name when you decided to keep me in your home." the young woman told him.

Takeshi blinked upon hearing this, as his mind was processing what she just said.

'I took her in...met her when I was a toddler...I even gave her a name...wait...!' Takeshi thought to himself in shock as he finally recognized who this woman was.

"...Blair-chan...is that you...!?" Takeshi asked in shock.

"Wait, Blair-chan...isn't that the name of the cat you have back at...home..." Lubbock said before his eyes widened when he looked at Blair.

The woman smile grew wider when Takeshi recognized her.

"Nyah~, you got it master!" Blair cheered, before she done something that Takeshi never expected her to do.

She just jumped onto Takeshi and stuffed his face with her ample bosom.

"MPH!?" Takeshi made a shocked noise.

"Oh! I was so worried master! Taking on a Cadre so recklessly~! I was then I realized you were in danger and I've decided I could no long hide myself any longer! So me, being your pet, has decided to protect her loving master!" Blair chirped while continuing to smother his face with her breasts, while Takeshi was struggling to breath and get himself out of her grip.

"You lucky son of a bitch!" Lubbock shouted with envy.

"Yeah, I know, right!" Issei shouted in agreement and envy, before he cried out in pain as Rias was spanking him.

"Uh..." Asuka didn't know what to say of the situation as she is watching her friend being smothered by Blair's well developed breasts.

Yukina looked like she didn't know what to make of the situation.

Thankfully, for Takeshi, that moment didn't last long as another voice entered the scene.

"TAKESHI FUYUSHIMA!"

Unfortunately, that voice that broke into the scene was the voice Takeshi wanted to confront a lot later in time.

Blair blinked as she loosened her grip on Takeshi, making Takeshi separate himself from the young woman. Slowly turning around while lightly sweating, he soon saw the person making her way towards him.

Kiyome looked like she just ran a marathon, as her face was completely red while sweat was running down her face. She was heavily panting as she was trying to catch her breath.

It looked like she just ran all the way here with no break, which is what she actually did.

She slowly made her way towards him while she was glaring at him. Takeshi gulped nervously while the others parted ways, seeing how pissed off she is.

"Wait, Kiyome-chan, I can explain-" Takeshi tried to reason with her and calm her down.

 _SLAP!_

The sound of a slap resounded through the air, and was followed along a thud. Takeshi stood there while holding onto his cheek, which had a red hand mark on it.

"...Yeah, I deserved that." Takeshi said while holding onto his cheek in pain. Kiyome was breathing quite heavily before she inhaled a large amount of air into her. As soon as she did, she exploded.

"What were you thinking!? Here you are, running off to a dangerous situation, trying to get yourself killed! Again!" Kiyome practically yelled at him with no reservation, not caring about the people around her.

"Kiyome-" Takeshi tried to calm her down, but she continued.

"Do you know how much you practically scare me whenever I find out that your life is in danger!? Do you think I enjoy seeing you risk your own life over something that could kill you at any moment!?" Kiyome questioned angrily.

"Kiyome-"

"Well I don't! I swear, you just keep on building up stress to the point where I believe I'm going to get white hair! I'm too young to be worrying about this sort of thing!" Kiyome continued.

"I'm-" Takeshi tried to speak up to calm her down.

 _SLAP!_

Another slap was delivered to his face once more, this time on his other cheek, leading to two red hand marks on both sides.

One thing is for certain, it is that Takeshi learned that Kiyome is a lot more stronger than she looks, probably due to the fact that she tames beast for a living. He inwardly worried if this will lead to any serious bruises, but he puts that in the back of his mind as he focused on the current situation he is in.

"And you actually had the nerve to hypnotize me to sleep, just so you can run off and try to be the hero! There are so many things wrong on what you just did there!" Kiyome yelled at him.

It was at that point that she breathed a bit heavily from all the yelling she did at Takeshi. Takeshi, on the other hand, just looked at her with an owlish look. Seeing that he had the chance to speak up, he decided the first thing that came to mind.

"...Did you let it all out of your system?" Takeshi couldn't help but ask.

A moment of silence passed between the two.

 _SLAP!_

Takeshi soon felt his right cheek return with a new sore, feeling the sting from the third slap.

"...Ow."

Kiyome just stared at him with a neutral expression for a moment, before she lowered her arm.

"...Yeah. I'm done." Kiyome told him, and then proceeded to exhale. "...Huh. All that running and yelling really does let it out of your system."

"Also the slaps." Takeshi pointed out.

"And the slaps." Kiyome added in, before she placed her hands on her hips and gave him an expectant look, looking like a mother expecting her child to explain the mess he caused.

He sighed, feeling relieved that he doesn't have to suffer any more of her slaps. He then gave her an apologetic look.

"...I won't make any excuses on what I did. I understand full well on how much I made you worry with my actions. My friends," Takeshi said while glancing at Lubbock and Asuka, "taught me this. I know its a bit rather late, but I empathize on how you felt when you see your friends putting themselves in dangerous situations."

Kiyome didn't say anything, but her expression told him that she wanted to hear more from him.

"...The only thing I can do is apologize for what I've done, and what I did in making you worry. Honestly, that makes me feel ashamed of myself, seeing how I betrayed my own ideals." Takeshi said with a remorseful tone.

"Betray your ideals?" Kiyome repeated with a confused expression.

"I'm supposed to make everyone happy. But in the process, I ended up making you unhappy throughout this whole incident, just so I can keep others happy and safe. It's rather cruel irony, I'm trying to bring contentment to everyone while I end up making a few unhappy." Takeshi said with a bitter smile, before he gave her a resolute expression.

"But Kiyome-chan, that is exactly why I had to to this. I'm doing this so I can protect your happiness." Takeshi told her.

"My happiness?" Kiyome repeated with confusion.

"Of course. Kokabiel was going to destroy this town, and possibly extend his destruction to other surrounding areas. Even if you did evacuate the area, there is still a chance his destruction could've reached you." Takeshi told her, and clenched his fist and put it close to his heart.

"You're important to me Kiyome-chan, and I would do anything it takes to protect your happiness. That is why I've decided to confront Kokabiel." Takeshi told her with a resolute tone.

Kiyome looked at him with a surprised look, and much to her surprise, she felt her cheeks heat up.

"I-I see." Kiyome replied, before she huffed and gave him a stern look, which was a bit weak and didn't have as much heat as earlier.

"But that still doesn't change the fact on what you did." Kiyome pointed out. Takeshi nodded in understanding.

"I know. I can't undo my actions, and I take full responsibility for it. The only thing I can do in this situation is to apologize for what I've done and do what it takes to make it up to you." Takeshi said with an apologetic look.

Silence passed between the two, before Kiyome sighed tiredly and shook her head.

"I swear Takeshi-kun, you're just going to be the death of me." Kiyome told him, before she closed the distance between them and brought him into a hug.

"...I'm just glad your safe." Kiyome softly whispered that only he could hear.

"Sorry for worrying you." Takeshi told her while patting her on the back.

The two were in their own little world while everyone just stood there a bit flabbergasted on what they witnessed.

"...Huh. It feels like I just witnessed a lover's quarrel and then they made up right on the spot." Lubbock muttered, before he just threw his hands up in the air. "You know what, forget it. I had a long night, and I'm pretty sure a good night's rest will do." Lubbock said as he walked away.

"Same." Asuka agreed as she begun walking away, as she was drained from what she just experienced.

"I guess I'll just wait for master to come home then." Blair said as she sat on her pumpkin and started floating away.

"...Are we sure that they're not a couple?" Issei asked.

"Shhh, just leave them be Issei." Rias told him sternly, as if she knew what was going on between the two of them and wanted to watch it progress further, before she decided to continue spanking him, much to Issei's displeasure.

The reinforcements from the Maou arrived thirty-minutes after everything ended, and the conflict with the Cadre has come to an end.

* * *

 **It's over! It is finally over! I'm finally done with this damn arc that he stumped me for so long! I finally got this nightmare out of my way! T** **hank god!**

 **Man, this took WAY too long to deal with. I apologize to those who had to sit in this arc for quite a while now. It's kind of hard trying to imagine the battle with Kokabiel with Takeshi's powers and everyone else involved. This is the best I can do.**

 **On the other hand, I have some** **good news.**

 **During my time stuck in this arc, I actually got really bored and started writing ahead on what would happen after this arc. And let me tell you, I kind of wrote a lot.**

 **For the next upcoming chapter,** **I've actually written quite a lot where it is halfway done. Hopefully, progress won't be as slow as before, but I hold no promises.**

* * *

 **Visual References**

 **Chiron - Think of Chiron from Type Moon, but his lower body is that of a horse**

 **Mezuki - Think of Mezuki from Yu Gi Oh.**

* * *

 **Something I want to try out**

 **So...something has been on my mind lately.**

 **Sometimes, I have plot bunnies running through my head. And I tell myself, damn, I have to write this. And I think to myself, wow, this story is actually pretty good to write.**

 **Problem is, however, is that I have no idea how to write that story into DxD fanfics.**

 **It was then I came across BonesBoy15 Olympian One Offs, where it offers a bunch of one shots revolve around Percy Jackson x Naruto fanfics. Reading that fanfic lead me to thinking of doing a similar thing to BonesBoy15's idea.**

 **You think I should do this, or should I just shelve my fanfic ideas until I find interest in it? The one shots are adoptable, or I might be able to develop into into a legitimate fanfic. I don't know, it all depends on how I feel about it.**

 **What do you guys think? Let me know in the reviews.**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


End file.
